Fiesta - Rome Latin Festival

Thirty years of Latin rhythm in Rome

Fiesta was born in 1995 and is now the longest-running and most recognizable Italian festival dedicated to Latin American music and culture. Over more than thirty editions, it has brought to the Municipality of Rome, in the Lazio region, the names that have defined the history of salsa, Cuban son, merengue, bachata, and more recently, reggaeton and dembow. For many Romans, it is simply «la Fiesta»: the most direct way to cross the Atlantic without leaving the city.

The return to EUR, the neighborhood of its origins

After several relocations, the event has returned to EUR, the neighborhood where it began. The venue is Parco Rosati, inside the Parco del Turismo, at via delle Tre Fontane 24: a green area of approximately 5,000 square meters with a certified capacity of 3,500 people. The space is organized like a small village: an open-air music hall with a large stage equipped with LED walls for concerts, two dance halls with different musical programs, cocktail bars, dining areas, and an outdoor screen for film and documentary screenings.

Live music and dance halls

Fiesta's formula combines evening concerts with late-night dancing. International artists take turns on the main stage, while resident DJs in the two halls offer different genres, allowing the audience to choose their own rhythm:

• Salsa, son, and timba — the Cuban and Puerto Rican tradition, the festival's historic heart
• Bachata, merengue, and cha-cha-cha — the most popular partner dances, with dedicated floors
• Reggaeton, dembow, and Latin urban — the contemporary scene that fills the evenings for younger crowds
• Reggae, rumba, and mambo — the Caribbean influences that complete the picture

Alongside the concerts, Fiesta hosts multicultural dance troupes, entertainers, resident artists, and lessons from the festival's historic dance schools, which offer classes open to beginners every evening.

A cultural bridge with Latin America

The artistic direction is entrusted to Mansur Naziri, who has maintained the event's original vocation over the years: not just entertainment, but a permanent cultural bridge between Italy and the Latin American communities residing in Rome. The festival collaborates with embassies, cultural institutes, and associations, and complements its musical program with moments dedicated to the gastronomy, crafts, and cinema of the host countries. It is one of the rare contexts in the capital where the Italian public and Latin American communities truly meet, with constant attention to integration and respect for diverse identities.

The atmosphere and the audience

The vibe is that of an extended neighborhood party: families and couples in the early evening, expert dancers and a younger crowd until late at night. The program spans the entire Roman summer, with free-entry evenings alternating with paid concerts, and it is now a classic of the 'Estate Romana' alongside the city's major open-air festivals. Latin American cuisine, from empanadas to Caribbean dishes, and rum-based cocktails complete the experience.

Why it's worth the trip

Those visiting Rome in the summer will find in Fiesta an experience different from the traditional tourist circuit: world-class live music, Latin American gastronomy, and open-air dance floors, all in a tree-lined park just minutes from the center of EUR and well-connected by the metro. It is the right place to understand how much the capital has become, in recent decades, a Latin American city as well.