Don't Miss Out: The big Annual Events in Piacenza and Beyond
Piacenza is full of events throughout the year, from long-standing traditions that return every season to new cultural appointments. Stay updated on upcoming events: VisitPiacenza
In this guide
Every Year in Piacenza
Think the city only wakes up for the weekend? From smooth spring jazz sessions to open-air summer cinema and deep cultural debates under the autumn sun, Piacenza’s city center is full of events. Ready to fill up your calendar? Discover the unmissable highlights below!
Piacenza Jazz Fest
FEBRUARY-APRIL
Widely recognized as one of Italy's premier jazz events, this festival offers an exhaustive look into contemporary jazz through a rich calendar of international concerts, prestigious competitions, and educational workshops. Every year from February to April, the city fills with world-class rhythms, hosting legendary global artists alongside rising talents.
The music doesn't stop when the weather warms up, either; the experience seamlessly extends into the warmer months through Summertime in Jazz, a vibrant, month-long summer spin-off split between the city and the most picturesque villages of the Val Trebbia and Val d’Arda.
This annual event perfectly blends competitive sport with a powerful charitable mission to support UNICEF. While the main 21 km race is an official, FIDAL-certified competition attracting top runners, the weekend is about far more than just racing.
The energy kicks off with a rich program of side events, live entertainment, and non-competitive walks designed for families, youth and the community to enjoy together.
Summer in Piacenza comes alive with this dynamic festival dedicated to music, theater, dance, prose and opera. Held in the historic courtyard of Palazzo Farnese, across several weeks from late June to July, the event fills the city center with a rich lineup of live performances and cultural encounters, making it a true reference point for both residents and visitors looking to experience the city's vibrant cultural scene.
Beyond showing works by established directors, the event places a special emphasis on highlighting independent filmmakers and debut features, offering a unique window into how contemporary filmmaking is evolving and expanding into new artistic horizons.
Launched in 2015 by a passionate group of young volunteers with the dream of bringing top independent artists directly to their hometown, this boutique festival has become a staple of Piacenza’s late-summer calendar.
Over four packed days, it transforms a beautiful early 20th-century agricultural court in the Emilian countryside into a vibrant cultural hub. The event offers a unique mix of Italian and international concerts, streetperformances, gourmet food trucks, artisan markets and immersive experiences, making it a wonderful destination for anyone seeking an intimate and authentic festival atmosphere.
This annual festival has quickly established Piacenza as a vibrant hub for reflection and dialogue on the defining themes of our time. Far from a simple cultural event, it is a deeply collaborative project that brings together thinkers, citizens and a rapidly growing number of young participants.
Held across various iconic locations in the historic center, the festival transforms the city into an open space for intergenerational exchange, aiming to elevate collective thought and inspire new perspectives.
From high-energy food truck festivals along the rivers to international street art in historic hill towns, ancient medieval tournaments, and indie music in the rolling countryside, the province of Piacenza is packed with incredible events.
Appennino Festival
MAY–OCTOBER, villages of the Emilian Apennines
This evocative event celebrates the unique heritage of the "Four Provinces," a mountainous borderland where Emilia-Romagna, Liguria, Piedmont and Lombardy meet. Each year, prominent figures in world, folk and early music gather to perform across the historic villages, nature trails, and wild valleys of the Emilian Apennines.
The festival brings this landscape to life using rare regional instruments, such as the piffero (a traditional oboe) and historical bagpipes like the piva and müsa, alongside the accordion, violin, and hurdy-gurdy. The performances showcase traditional dances, distinct vocal styles and a rich medieval repertoire linked to both the Provençal troubadours of the local Malaspina courts and the profound cultural legacy of the Monastery of San Colombano in Val Trebbia.
Held annually in Rivergaro along the scenic banks of the Trebbia River, this vibrant festival is a massive celebration of street food, barbecue culture and live music. Spanning across the late April and early May weekends with free admission, the event has become a true staple of the Valtrebbia calendar, drawing thousands of visitors to its hometown.
The heart of the festival revolves around its culinary offerings, featuring over 40 food truckss, with a dedicated focus on top-tier barbecue and street food specialties. Complementing the food, a continuous lineup of live music and entertainment runs throughout the day across multiple stages, creating a festive, high-energy atmosphere right by the river.
The Val Tidone Festival is a concert series whose program brings together internationally renowned artists and emerging talents with a promising future. The Val Tidone International Music Competitions are a professional, multi-instrumental competition that every year attracts young musicians from around the world to the Province of Piacenza. Both initiatives are promoted by the Fondazione Val Tidone Musica under the artistic direction of Livio Bollani.
The program is further enriched by a range of educational and outreach initiatives, including lecture-concerts for schools, artist encounters, and guided listening sessions (Val Tidone Music Hours).
Nestled in the rolling hills of the upper Val d’Arda, the historic village of Vernasca comes alive every summer as street artists take over the town. For three vibrant days, the streets and alleys are transformed into a massive open-air stage hosting prestigious international buskers from all corners of the globe.
The festival fills numerous performance spots scattered throughout the village with a spectacular lineup of artists and companies, delivering non-stop shows that include jugglers, acrobats, musicians, clowns, and tightrope walkers.
Beyond the world-class entertainment, visitors can explore a carefully curated market filled with unique handcrafted creations, while several strategic food areas offer the perfect spots to relax and enjoy the festive atmosphere.
Held in the late summer just a few kilometers from Piacenza, this international short film festival takes place in the atmospheric setting of Parco Raggio in Pontenure. The event brings world-class cinema to the forefront, showcasing a carefully curated selection of short films, many of which arrive with prestigious awards from the global festival circuit.
During the last weekend of June, the medieval town of Bobbio steps back in time to revive its ancient traditions with the Palio delle Contrade. The town's five historic districts—Alcarina, Agazza, Frangula, Legleria, and Nova, each named after the original gates of the medieval city—compete in a series of traditional trials of skill to win the coveted title of "Queen District," holding the honor for a year until the next challenge.
The historic celebration kicks off on Saturday with medieval games, a grand parade of the districts, performances by traditional flag-wavers and musicians, and the official launching of the challenge. On Sunday, the atmosphere builds with a variety of lively competitions, including an archery tournament, a tug-of-war, a greasy pole climb (palo della cuccagna), and unique historical races involving hay bales, eggs, and water sponges, making it a captivating spectacle for visitors.