Umbria Festival Calendar: Events Month by Month

Umbria’s festival year runs from medieval pageants and religious processions to jazz and chocolate. If you only remember three dates, they are July for Umbria Jazz in Perugia, late June to mid-July for the Festival dei Due Mondi in Spoleto, and autumn for Eurochocolate and the truffle and olive oil fairs. May and June are the richest months for traditional festivals in the smaller towns.

All dates below are typical months. Many festivals depend on the Easter date, the saint’s day or the organisers’ plans, so always check the current year before you book.

Month by month

Month	Event	Place	What it is
January	Feast of San Costanzo	Perugia	Patron saint’s feast with the traditional torcolo cake
January	Umbria Jazz Winter (ends)	Orvieto	Winter jazz edition around New Year
February to March	Truffle and food fair	Norcia	Black truffle and mountain products
March or April	Holy Week processions	Assisi and other towns	Good Friday processions, Easter liturgies
April	International Journalism Festival	Perugia	Free talks and debates across the old town
Early May	Calendimaggio	Assisi	Spring festival with medieval costumes, music and a contest between the upper and lower town
15 May	Corsa dei Ceri	Gubbio	Teams race three tall wooden ‘candles’ up to the basilica on Monte Ingino
Late May	Palio della Balestra	Gubbio	Crossbow contest in the main square
May or June	Corpus Domini and Infiorata	Spello	Streets covered with carpets of flower petals overnight
June	Mercato delle Gaite	Bevagna	The town recreates medieval crafts, food and markets
June and September	Giostra della Quintana	Foligno	Baroque-era jousting with two contests a year
Late June to July	Festival dei Due Mondi	Spoleto	Music, theatre and dance festival
Late June to July	Lentil bloom	Castelluccio di Norcia	Not a festival, but the plateau flowers in colour
July	Umbria Jazz	Perugia	Ten days of concerts, many free in the streets
August	Village sagre	Across Umbria	Local food festivals in nearly every village
September	Sagra Musicale Umbra	Perugia and other towns	Classical and sacred music festival
3 and 4 October	Feast of St Francis	Assisi	Italy’s patron saint, with national celebrations
October to December	Olive oil events	Across central Umbria	Open mills and tastings of new oil
October to November	White truffle fairs	Gubbio, Città di Castello	Markets of truffles and autumn produce
November	Eurochocolate	Perugia	Chocolate festival in the old town (2026: 13 to 22 November)
December	Christmas tree of Gubbio	Gubbio	Lights laid out in the shape of a tree on Monte Ingino
End of December	Umbria Jazz Winter	Orvieto	Concerts across New Year

The big three

Umbria Jazz

Perugia’s summer jazz festival fills Corso Vannucci, its squares and gardens with music for about ten days in July, with paid evening concerts and many free sets in the street. Our Umbria Jazz visitor guide covers tickets, venues and where to stay.

Festival dei Due Mondi

Spoleto’s festival of music, theatre and dance has been held since the 1950s and runs from late June into July. Performances use the town’s theatres, churches and the square in front of the cathedral. See our Spoleto guide for the town itself.

Eurochocolate

Perugia’s chocolate festival fills the old town with stands, tastings and workshops. It has usually been held in October; the 2026 edition is planned for 13 to 22 November. Our Eurochocolate guide explains how to visit without the worst of the crowds.

Traditional festivals worth planning around

Corsa dei Ceri in Gubbio

On 15 May each year, three teams carry heavy wooden structures called ceri, each topped with a saint, through the streets and up the mountain to the basilica of Sant’Ubaldo. It is fast, loud and deeply local. Arrive early, stay out of the runners’ path and read our Gubbio guide for the rest of the town.

Infiorata in Spello

For the feast of Corpus Domini, residents of Spello work through the night to lay carpets and pictures of flower petals along the streets. The finished designs can be seen early on Sunday morning, before the procession passes over them. Details are in our page on Spello and Bevagna.

Calendimaggio in Assisi

In early May, Assisi’s upper and lower parts compete in a spring festival of music, costumes and processions, with a jury choosing the winner.

Planning tips for festival dates

• Book early. Hotels in Perugia during Umbria Jazz and Eurochocolate, in Gubbio around 15 May and in Spoleto during the festival fill quickly.
• Expect traffic limits. Old towns close more streets than usual; use park-and-ride car parks, escalators and shuttle buses.
• Check local sources. The Umbria tourism website and the town councils publish programmes, often only a few weeks ahead for smaller events.
• Respect religious events. Processions are acts of faith for participants; dress accordingly in churches and keep a respectful distance.