The Best Festivals and Events Across the Italian Riviera

Each summer, Liguria’s colourful villages and coastal towns host festivals that celebrate music, food, and tradition in their own distinct style. In 2025, you’ll find everything from candlelit sea processions to anchovy-jumping contests. Whether you’re into indie rock, ravioli feasts, or folklore parades, there’s something happening across the region that will surprise and delight you. This guide covers the highlights for July, August, and September 2025—the heart of the Ligurian summer.

A Month of Live Music by the Sea

A Diverse Line-up Celebrating Italian Contemporary Music

From 2 to 27 July, Genoa’s Arena del Mare sets the stage for the Balena Festival, one of the city’s biggest cultural events. Since its early days, the festival has spotlighted a wide spectrum of Italian music—rock, indie, rap, and electronic—with a mix of established stars and fresh talent. This year opens with Afterhours celebrating a landmark album, followed by acts like Baustelle, Tananai, and Fast Animals and Slow Kids. Themed nights will revisit the 2000s and 90s, blending nostalgia with new sounds.

Music with a Coastal Backdrop

Set on Genoa’s historic port, the Arena del Mare offers more than just music. As the sun sets over the Ligurian Sea, the stage lights up with performances that carry on into the night. The backdrop of gently lapping waves and medieval cityscape adds to the atmosphere—a truly local fusion of energy and char

Liguria’s Hinterland Culture

Opera, Jazz, and Choir Concerts in Small Villages

Since 2018, the Festival del Maro has brought opera, jazz, choirs, and puppetry to the villages of the Impero Valley—places like Borgomaro, Ville San Pietro, Aurigo, and more. Held throughout July and August, the events take place in centuries-old churches and open squares, where the scent of pine and sound of church bells linger in the air.

With some villages home to fewer than 300 people, this is where you’ll find yourself welcomed like a neighbour. Highlights for summer 2025 include:

• Borgomaro (July): Opening night opera featuring beloved arias.
• Ville San Pietro (July): “Let’s Talk and Sing About Love,” with piano and cello.
• Conio (July): A night of singing, ventriloquism, and puppets.
• Ville San Sebastiano (August): Choir concert marking the 400th anniversary of the Madonna della Neve pilgrimage church.
• Candeasco (August): Guitar by Diego Campagna, with mezzo-soprano accompaniment.
• Torria (August): Tribute to Neapolitan song traditions.
• Aurigo (August): Swing night with the BRG Orchestra of Finalborgo.

Looking for a different kind of summer evening? This is it.

Savour Liguria’s Authentic Flavours This Summer

Groppo and the Spaventapasseri

On 13 July, the hamlets around Groppo in Sesta Godano put on a festival filled with whimsy and flavour. Spaventapasseri (scarecrows) of all shapes and styles line the streets, as visitors roam between food stalls serving up homemade Ligurian favourites. It’s part open-air gallery, part feast, all set against the green hills of the Val di Vara.

Sagra del Raviolo

From 19 July to early August, Vallebona hosts the Sagra del Raviolo. This isn’t just a food fair—it’s a community affair where families roll pasta by hand and fill it with greens, meats, and cheese from their own gardens and farms. Wine flows, local bands play, and the whole town feels like one long dinner table.

Herb and Lavender Festival

Up in the Ligurian Alps, Cosio d’Arroscia celebrates its annual Herb and Lavender Festival in July. Wander through market stalls bursting with dried bouquets, teas, oils, and tinctures. There are guided walks through the fragrant fields, and tastings of herbal infusions that tell the story of Liguria’s mountain wisdom.

Laigueglia’s Salto dell’Acciuga

On 2 and 3 August, Laigueglia hosts one of the most eccentric events of the season: the Salto dell’Acciuga. Yes, people jump over anchovies. What started as a nod to the town’s fishing roots is now a playful celebration with dancing, snacks, and plenty of anchovy puns.

Pesto, Cinema, and Cultural Nights

Liguria’s Signature Sauce

In September, Santa Margherita Ligure celebrates its most famous export with the Festival of Pesto. Chefs lead workshops, competitions heat up, and everyone gets a spoonful. Want to master the mortar and pestle? This is your moment.

Films Under the Stars

Throughout July and August, town piazzas across Liguria become open-air cinemas. Italian classics and international gems flicker to life under the stars, with the sea breeze adding just the right amount of drama.

Liguria’s Unmissable Cultural Highlights

Intimate Classical Performances

From May to October, the Vernazza Opera Festival transforms the Oratory of the SS. Trinità into an intimate concert hall. With its rotating programme of Italian and international arias, this is opera without the velvet ropes.

La Spezia Summer Festival

In Piazza Europa, the La Spezia Summer Festival brings jazz, theatre, and dance to the heart of the city. Locals and visitors gather nightly in July and August for performances that feel as spontaneous as they are polished.

A Historic Rowing Race

On 3 August, La Spezia hosts the Palio del Golfo, a century-old rowing contest between 13 coastal villages. There are parades, traditional dress, and fierce community pride. It’s sport as celebration.

Tradition and Fireworks by the Sea

On 23 July, Levanto’s Festa del Mare honours Saint James with parades, flag-waving displays, and fireworks. As night falls, candles are set afloat on the water, lighting up the bay in a moment that’s equal parts ceremony and magic.

Festa della Madonna Bianca

Portovenere’s biggest celebration falls on 17 August. The Festa della Madonna Bianca features a solemn procession, food stalls, music, and fireworks over the Ligurian Sea. It’s one of the most heartfelt days on the calendar.

Festivals Away from the Tourist Trail

If you’re after quieter corners and cultural curiosities, these events reveal Liguria’s deeper roots.

Torta dei Fieschi in Lavagna

On 14 August, Lavagna throws a medieval-themed celebration in honour of a 13th-century wedding. A giant cake is shared, and townsfolk parade through cobbled streets in full historic costume.

A Day with the Witches of Triora

On 17 August, the hill village of Triora channels its eerie past with Strigora—a festival of witches, reenactments, and midnight tours. The food’s excellent too.

Festival of Ancestral Traditions

On 31 August in Valbrevenna, U Mundantigu celebrates folk music, craft skills, and ancient recipes passed down through generations. It’s a heartfelt tribute to Liguria’s rural soul.

Stracasella Running Race

On 7 September, Casella hosts the Stracasella, a scenic race through hills and forests. There’s food, music, and that feel-good mix of athletic effort and post-run wine.

Summer 2025: A Season to Savour

From portside concerts to lavender-scented markets and moonlit parades, Liguria in summer is as rich in personality as it is in tradition. Whether you’re chasing music, meals, or moments, there’s no better time to experience this side of Italy.

Pack light. Bring an appetite.