Casalmaggiore Carnival

Shrove Tuesday in Casalmaggiore

The Casalmaggiore Carnival culminates in the grand parade of allegorical floats that, on the afternoon of Shrove Tuesday, crosses Piazza Garibaldi, in the centre of the town in the Oglio Po region, in the Province of Cremona. It is a popular festival born from the passion of local communities, which each year transform the square into a riot of colours, music, and masks.

The Twin Hamlets: Cicognara and Roncadello

The heart of the Casalmaggiore carnival are the two hamlets of Cicognara and Roncadello, affectionately known as the "twin hamlets". Each year they choose a theme, build their own allegorical floats, and bring them to the square, creating a friendly competition based on imagination. The groups from the Cicognara Carnival Committee and the Friends of Roncadello work for months on the construction of the floats, true collective works that involve entire families.

A Festival Spread Across the Territory

The carnival is not confined to Casalmaggiore: the celebrations begin in the squares of the hamlets of Cicognara and Roncadello and are part of a larger calendar of Oglio Po carnivals, which connect the Casalmaggiore area with neighbouring towns up to Viadana. A system of festivals that makes this area, between Lombardy and the Emilia border, a small capital of provincial carnival.

Tradition, Volunteering, and Community

Organised by the Pro Loco of Casalmaggiore together with the hamlet committees, the carnival is above all an expression of volunteering and local identity. The parade, free and open to all, attracts families and children and is one of the most beloved events of the Casalmaggiore winter, capable of renewing the bond between the city centre and its hamlets every year.