Things To Do

There are many festivals and events in the area during the holiday season. Here we have compiled some of the main ones we know about and this will be updated regularly, especially with exact dates when we know them. You can check what is on when you are coming on holiday or even plan your holiday around a particular event, like Perugia’s Jazz Festival. Almost every town and village has a festival of some sort during the summer and there are many highly regarded professional events as well as excellent local fiestas.

Date Location Event
Easter Most towns Easter processions and re-enactments
April Todi Italian Antique Exhibition
April  Anghiari Mostra Mercato - shops, workshops and stands featuring Anghiarese artisans and craft people.
April Lago Trasimeno Festival of Kites - free flying kites for beginners and experts plus other activities
April Spoleto International Dance Week - a competition covering ballet, modern and contemporary dance and choreography.
April/May Terni Cantamaggio - floats and processions, exhibitions and shows.
May Assisi National Antique Fair & Calendimaggio - concerts, shows and procession in medieval costumes.
May Gubbio Ceri Race Festival - an entertaining hectic race through the streets of Gubbio with competing teams carrying 3 ceri (tall and very heavy wooden structures topped by the statues of saints).
May Gubbio Crossbow Palio - target shooting contest with medieval crossbows.
June Bevagna Fair of the Gaite - recreation of Bevagna in the Middle Ages with taverns, concerts, shows and arts & crafts.
June Spoleto Flower Festival - superb street art competition using flower petals and leaves. Go early to avoid the crowds, the participants work all night on their creations.
June Anghiari Palio della Vittoria - a sunset race between runners representing their own towns in memory of the Battle of Anghiari in 1440.
July Spoleto Festrival of the Worlds
July Montone Umbria Film Festival - independent film festival with free films shown in the piazza, organised by Terry Gillam of Monty Python fame.
July Perugia Umbria Jazz - top class international jazz festival with well known performers playing in the main arena plus many other musicians doing concnerts around the city.
July Lago Trasimeno Palio of the boats - a gruelling boat race.
July Lago Trasimeno Trasimeno Blues - excellent blues concerts at locations around the lake.
July/August Preggio Preggio Music Festival - a serious of conserts topped off by delightful opera performed in the gardens of the church.
July/August Anghiari Variety of music events and theatre.
July/August Gubbio Programme of cslassical plays performed in the Roman Theatre.
July to Sep Various places Ville Giardini - open gardens of major country houses in the region.
August Pietralunga Palio della Mannaja - palio, ceremonies and exhibitions.
August Montefalco Montefalco Festival - music, processions and contests.
August Corciano Corciano Festival - concerts, theatre, pageants and art exhibitions.
August Anghiari Tavaglia a Quadri - a Tuscan dinner and play in four courses during Ferragusto.
August Montone Donazione dells Santa Spina - medeival festival with processions, archery contest, theatre and food in makeshift taverns throughout the village.
Aug/Sep Città di Castello Festival of the Nations - music concerts featuring music from a different country each year.
August Perugia International Puppet Festival - performances and exhibition.
Aug/Sep Cortona Cortonantiquaria - antiques fair with shops from all over Italy displaying their antiques.
September Sansepolcro Palio del Balestra - crossbow contest between Gubbio and Sansepolcro using antique weapons and in medieval costume.
September Perugia Perugia Classico - acoustic musical intstrument exhibition.
September Città di Castello National Horse Fair - contests, shows and exhibitions.
September Perugia Sacred Music Festival - a prestigious music event.
September Umbertide 19th century fair - events, shows and taverns around the old centre with historic costumes.