Busnago Party

A neighborhood festival in the Castelli Romani

The Busnago Party is one of the most anticipated events of the summer in Monte Compatri, a town in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital overlooking the Castelli Romani in the Lazio region. The festival takes place on the Passeggiata of Viale Busnago, the long tree-lined avenue that has always served as the town's open-air living room: here, locals gather for their evening strolls, and for one night, the entire space transforms into a festive area with food stalls, a stage, and long communal tables.

Why it is called Busnago Party

The name has nothing exotic about it: Viale Busnago is named after the town of Busnago in the province of Monza and Brianza, which has been twinned with Monte Compatri for over forty years thanks to a friendship born between the two towns' marching bands. The twinning, which reached its 45th anniversary in 2025, is one of the longest-standing in the Castelli Romani, and the festival that bears its name is, in effect, its popular and convivial extension.

Street food and music until midnight

The formula is tried, tested, and deliberately informal. Starting in the late afternoon, usually around 5 PM, the street food stalls managed by the Pro Loco and local vendors open their doors: sandwiches with Castelli porchetta, burgers, fried snacks, arrosticini, desserts, and draft beer. As the sun sets, live music takes the stage, with local bands ranging from rock'n'roll to rockabilly, blues, and Italian covers, followed by DJ sets and karaoke that keep the avenue buzzing until midnight.

More than just food: games and tournaments

Next to the stage, the Pro Loco sets up an area dedicated to table games, with ping pong and foosball tournaments that have become a small classic of the event in recent years, featuring awards and a memorial dedicated to a beloved figure of the local community. This is the part of the festival that most engages young people and families, alongside entertainment activities for children.

Part of the Estate Monticiana

The Busnago Party is not an isolated event: it is part of the Estate Monticiana (Monte Compatri Summer) program, a summer festival promoted by the Municipality of Monte Compatri that brings together over forty evenings of music, open-air cinema, theater under the stars, and food and wine, spread between the historic center, the Belvedere, the hamlet of Laghetto, and the Passeggiata itself. During the same period, the avenue also hosts the town's most famous food festivals, from the Pappardelle Festival to the Fettuccine Festival, which, along with the St. Joseph Fair in May, make up the town's core cultural calendar.

What to see in Monte Compatri

Those arriving for the festival can take the opportunity to explore the village: the historic center perched at over 500 meters above sea level, the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta, Palazzo Annibaldeschi, and the narrow alleys that climb toward the Belvedere, from which, on clear evenings, you can take in the entire Roman countryside all the way to the sea. Surrounding the area is the Castelli Romani Regional Park, with its chestnut woods and trails leading toward Monte Salomone, as well as the renowned wine production of the Colli Albani.