Carnival Festival at Piazza di Nostra Signora di Guadalupe

The neighborhood Carnival that brings Monte Mario to life

Every year, during the Carnival weekend, Piazza di Nostra Signora di Guadalupe sheds its role as a simple thoroughfare to become the stage for one of the most popular festivals in Rome's 14th Municipality. There are no monumental floats or paid grandstands here: this is a neighborhood Carnival, made of children in costumes, confetti on the pavement, stalls smelling of frappe and castagnole, and families gathering right in their own neighborhood. It is a grassroots celebration born from the collaboration between local merchants and the Piccoli Mercanti Association, the same group that enlivens the square throughout the year with craft markets, white nights, and the Monte Mario Christmas market.

What happens in the square

The program spans two days and occupies the entire pedestrian area of the square, which was redeveloped as part of the Cento Piazze project. Activities run continuously from morning to evening, with a rhythm designed especially for the little ones:

• Live music and entertainment, with performers engaging the crowd;
• Face painting and distribution of masks for those who arrive without a costume;
• Creative workshops for children and teenagers, dedicated to making masks and decorations;
• Costume parade, the most anticipated moment on Sunday afternoon;
• Street food and Carnival sweets, with stalls offering frappe, castagnole, and traditional Lazio specialties;
• Craft stalls and small exhibitors from the association, a permanent fixture of the Piccoli Mercanti initiatives.

Monte Mario, a neighborhood telling its story

The square takes its name from the church of Nostra Signora di Guadalupe a Monte Mario, built between 1928 and 1932 and established as a parish in 1936: an identity landmark for the entire neighborhood, which finds its natural gathering space here. We are in northwestern Rome, on the slope rising toward the city's highest point, in a residential area that has rediscovered the square as a place for social interaction in recent years, thanks to the calendar of events promoted by the Municipality and local associations.

A Carnival in the 14th Municipality's calendar

The Piazza Guadalupe festival is not an isolated event: it is part of the dense program of Carnival initiatives that the City of Rome, through its municipalities, supports every year throughout the city. In the 14th Municipality alone, during the same weekend, other neighborhood events take place—such as the parades in Ottavia and the Via della Lucchina area—which together create a widespread, accessible Carnival. It is one of the most authentic expressions of Lazio's popular traditions, where the festival is not a show for an audience, but an opportunity for neighbors to meet.

Who it is for

Admission is free, and all activities take place outdoors. The festival is particularly suitable for families with preschool and school-age children, but the mix of music, gastronomy, and stalls makes it enjoyable for adults as well. Those visiting Rome during this period who want to see how Romans truly experience Carnival, far from the squares of the historic center, will find a genuine, unfiltered experience here.