A week of band music culminating in the grand folk parade
The Fešta de ra Bàndes — whose name is in the local Ampezzo Ladin dialect — is the festival of bands in Cortina d'Ampezzo, in the province of Belluno. It is organized by the Corpo Musicale di Cortina (Music Corps of Cortina), an institution with over 150 years of history, deeply rooted in the identity of the Ampezzo valley.
The festival opens on the second-to-last Sunday in August with the inaugural concert by the local band, in the characteristic shell of Piazza Angelo Dibona. From Monday to Friday, there are successive evening concerts and short parades by the various bands, with refreshments under the marquee. Saturday sees an enriched program with morning, afternoon, and evening concerts, alongside parades through the town centre. A special event is the concert at Rifugio Averau, among the 5 Torri (Five Towers), where music meets the Dolomite landscape.
The climax arrives on the final Sunday with the grand folk parade along Corso Italia: over 25 Italian and international bands and folk groups, accompanied by local associations and costumed participants, bring the town centre to life. The week concludes with the Concertone (Grand Concert), a collective performance in Piazza Roma, sealing a tradition that unites Ampezzo's identity and popular music, in the heart of the UNESCO Dolomites.
The Fešta de ra Bàndes 2026 enlivens Cortina d'Ampezzo from August 23rd to 30th. The week opens with the inaugural concert by the Corpo Musicale di Cortina in Piazza Dibona.
From Monday to Friday, evening concerts and short parades follow; on August 29th, the high-altitude concert at Rifugio Averau, among the 5 Torri, is scheduled. The grand finale on Sunday, August 30th, is the folk parade along Corso Italia with over 25 bands and groups, followed by the Concertone.
Detailed program on the website of the Corpo Musicale di Cortina.
Cortina d'Ampezzo is reached via the SS51 Alemagna state road; the nearest station is Calalzo-Pieve di Cadore-Cortina, connected by bus services. Events take place in the town centre (Piazza Dibona, Corso Italia) and at Rifugio Averau.
Concerts and parades are free admission in the centre of Cortina.
Full program on the website of the Corpo Musicale di Cortina, corpomusicalecortina.it.
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Piazza Angelo Dibona e Corso Italia (Cortina d'Ampezzo)
Piazza Angelo Dibona, 32043 Cortina d'Ampezzo