Aloha Roma Music Festival – Roman Songs and Ukulele

A festival that unites Rome and Hawaii

Some pairings seem daring on paper but work perfectly in practice. Aloha Roma is one of them: on one hand, the Roman song tradition, with its repertoire of stornelli, serenades, and popular choruses that capture the city's spirit better than any guidebook; on the other, the ukulele, four strings from Hawaii that have become the symbol of light, accessible, and above all, collective music over the last twenty years. The project was born in Rome, Lazio, at the initiative of the Roma in Fabula Cultural and Recreational Association, the same group behind the Ukus in Fabula ensemble and the Italian Ukulele Orchestra.

From the Rome Ukulele Festival to Aloha Roma

The story of this event began on December 6, 2025, when the association brought the first edition of the Rome Ukulele Festival to the Hotel dei Congressi in the EUR district: a full day, from 2:00 PM to 10:30 PM, featuring international guests, workshops, and a community of enthusiasts from all over Italy. The success of that first trial convinced the organizers to expand their horizons: no longer just ukulele, but an explicit dialogue with Rome's musical heritage. Hence the new title, Aloha Roma – Roman Songs and Ukulele, a project funded under Section 1A of the Roma Creativa 365. Culture all year round public call, the 2025-2026 biennial initiative through which Roma Capitale, together with Zètema Progetto Cultura, supports widespread cultural programming across all districts.

What happens at Aloha Roma

The formula developed by the association avoids the traditional setup of a seated audience watching a distant stage. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own instruments and play, and those who don't have one can learn the basics in just a few hours. The typical program includes:

• Beginner workshops: learning the first chords, rhythm, and playing a song together by the end of the lesson;
• Thematic labs for experienced players, dedicated to specific repertoires — in 2025, it featured The Beatles with British master Peter Moss;
• Open mic sessions for musicians of all levels, featuring original songs and covers;
• Collective jam sessions, the heart of the day, where dozens of ukuleles play in unison;
• Evening concerts with Italian and international artists;
• Instrument exhibitions and meet-and-greets with luthiers and specialized retailers.

Roman songs as a shared repertoire

The idea of grafting the Roman repertoire onto a Hawaiian instrument is no mere gimmick. Stornelli, the songs of Petrolini, and the popular 20th-century Roman repertoire are built on just a few chords, designed to be sung in groups, on the street, or at the tavern: exactly the vocation of the ukulele. Participants discover that classics like Roma nun fa' la stupida stasera or Le mantellate sound fantastic on four strings, and that a tradition often considered purely folkloric can come alive in a 21st-century jam session.

The EUR district and the audience

The choice of EUR is no coincidence. The Municipio IX is one of the most populous areas of the capital and, despite having significant congress and cultural spaces, remains far from the musical circuits of the historic center. Bringing a festival here means providing quality programming to a resident base that usually has to travel to Trastevere or San Lorenzo. The area is served by the Metro B (Eur Fermi station) and a wide range of surface bus lines, making the event accessible even for those arriving from outside Rome.

A community before a lineup

Those who attended the first edition describe a unique atmosphere: instruments always in hand, constant exchanges between strangers, and no barriers between those who have been playing for twenty years and those who bought their ukulele the week before. This, even more than the names on the bill, is the hallmark of Aloha Roma: a festival measured not by the number of spectators, but by the number of people who played something by the end of the day.