Alcide Christmas Festival

A Christmas village in the heart of Aurelio

Just a few hundred meters from the colonnade of St. Peter's, Piazza Santa Maria alle Fornaci is one of those Roman squares that thrives on daily life: the market, the parish, and the historic shops along Corso Alcide De Gasperi. For one day in December, however, this corner of the Municipio XIII changes its skin to become a true open-air Christmas village, buzzing with activity from eleven in the morning until midnight. The Alcide Christmas Festival was born from the local merchants' desire to give the neighborhood a local celebration that is free and open to everyone, without the need to cross the city to reach the large markets in the center.

Who organizes it and why

The event is promoted by the Associazione Comitato Commercianti Alcide De Gasperi APS, with the patronage of the Municipio XIII Roma Aurelio. The initiative is part of the Natale in Tredicesimo (Christmas in the Thirteenth) municipal calendar, the program through which the Municipio XIII lights up the festivities across the squares, local markets, and gathering spaces of Aurelio, Casalotti, and the surrounding suburbs. Compared to other events in the calendar, the Alcide Christmas Festival has a unique character: a single, very long day concentrated in one square and built around the businesses that overlook it.

What to find in the square

The program is designed to span the entire day. In the morning and afternoon, the focus is on children, with creative workshops, face painting, traditional wooden games, and the unmissable Santa's corner for a souvenir photo. Throughout the day, various types of performances take place:

• puppet theater for the little ones;
• children's book presentations, with the participation of local bookstores;
• gospel concerts, the most recognizable musical signature of the Municipio XIII Christmas;
• live music with bands in the evening;
• stand-up comedy late at night.

All around, the square's shops and cafes remain open, joined by food trucks and a bar area that allow you to stop and eat without interrupting the fun. Admission is free for all activities, including the workshops.

A neighborhood Christmas, not a postcard one

Those arriving in search of the monumental market of Piazza Navona will find something different here, and in many ways, more authentic: a local festival where families know each other, children run free between the stalls, and merchants stand behind the workshop tables. It is the Christmas that Rome truly experiences off the tourist routes, with that domestic scale found in the traditional festivals of the Lazio region. The proximity to the Vatican, however, adds a special touch: you can catch a glimpse of the dome from the square, and many visitors combine their stop at the festival with a walk towards St. Peter's in the afternoon.

The context: Christmas in the Municipio XIII

The Municipio XIII is one of the largest in Rome and includes very diverse neighborhoods, from the urban Aurelio to Casalotti and the Roman countryside. The municipal Christmas calendar distributes events specifically to reach all these contexts: gospel concerts in churches, theatrical performances in cultural hubs, and entertainment in local markets like the Mercato Irnerio and the Mercato San Silverio. The Alcide Christmas Festival represents its most scenic and well-attended stop, where local commerce and municipal administration work side by side.

Tips for your visit

The day is long and lends itself to different ways of visiting: the morning is ideal for those with small children who want to enjoy the workshops without the crowds; the late afternoon is the time for lights and concerts; the evening is dedicated to an adult audience with live music and comedy. As this is an outdoor event, in case of bad weather, the organization may move activities indoors to local parish spaces: it is always worth checking for updates on the Municipio XIII channels before heading out.