Frascati Carnival

A festival that belongs to the city

The Frascati Carnival is the most anticipated winter event in the city of the Castelli Romani, located in the Municipality of Frascati, in the Province of Rome, in the heart of the Lazio region. For over two weeks, between late January and Shrove Tuesday, the squares of the historic center — Piazza San Pietro, Piazza delle Scuole Pie, Piazza Marconi, and Piazza Roma — become the stage for parades, shows, and live music. The event is organized by the ArtePassione Association in collaboration with the Municipality of Frascati, which since 2020 has taken on the task of preserving a long-standing Frascati tradition deeply felt by its residents.

Allegorical floats and masked groups

The heart of the Carnival lies in the allegorical floats, built in the preceding months and paraded along the city route, often repeated several times in the afternoon so everyone can see them up close. Each year the themes change: ranging from references to local identity — the float dedicated to «Frascati City of Wine», a tribute to the DOC white wine that has made the city famous worldwide — to subjects beloved by children, including Disney characters, superheroes, and fantasy families.

Alongside the floats, the masked groups parade, representing the true participatory soul of the festival: associations, dance schools, neighborhood committees, and families prepare costumes and choreographies to compete for the prize for the best group. Leading the processions is traditionally the historic Pulcinella group, while the figure of Re Pupone symbolically receives the keys to the city from the Mayor on opening day.

Music, dance, and fireworks

The program extends beyond the parades. On the stage in Piazza San Pietro, live concerts, dance troupe performances, and themed evenings alternate, while the Mura del Valadier host the grand evening dance party. The most spectacular moments remain the fireworks displays, which illuminate the sky over Piazza Marconi with the 17th-century bulk of Villa Aldobrandini acting as a natural backdrop: an image that alone is worth the trip from Rome.

The funeral of Pulcinella

The closing is entrusted to a popular ritual repeated for generations. On Shrove Tuesday, after the final parade of the floats and the awarding of the masked groups, the funeral procession takes shape: a huge puppet of Pulcinella is carried through the streets of the center in a parody of a funeral, amidst fake tears and jokes, before being symbolically burned. The cremation marks the end of the Carnival and the beginning of Lent, concluding with final fireworks.

A festival for families

The Frascati Carnival is designed for all ages. There are creative workshops for children, a day entirely dedicated to local schools, which parade with their own masked groups, and educational activities curated by Frascati Scienza, the association that brings scientific research to the public every year. The parades and processions are free to enter: payment is only required for evening events with tickets.

Frascati, between wine and Tusculan villas

Attending the Carnival is also an opportunity to discover Frascati out of season. The city is known for its white wine, for the fraschette — typical taverns where you can eat porchetta, cold cuts, and white pizza accompanied by a liter of local wine — and for the Tusculan villas built by Roman noble families starting in the 16th century. After the parade, a stop at a local fraschetta in the center is an integral part of the experience.