Giardinetti Carnival (Santarelli Park)

A Carnival made by the neighborhood, for the neighborhood

The Giardinetti Carnival does not stem from an institutional program or a major sponsor: it is born from the Via Carlo Santarelli Park, a green space that local residents brought back to life through days of cleaning, mowing, and small volunteer maintenance projects. It is in this space, reclaimed meter by meter, that the Carnival festivities ignite every year between February and early March: costumes, confetti, music, and snacks for the little ones, in a Roman suburb that chooses to take action firsthand.

Where it takes place: Giardinetti, Municipality VI

We are in Rome, in the Municipality VI of the Towers, along the Casilina axis: the Giardinetti neighborhood stretches between Torre Maura and Tor Bella Monaca, just minutes from the Grande Raccordo Anulare (GRA). The Via Carlo Santarelli park is defined by municipal guides themselves as "an area of strategic importance for an entire community": a rectangle of greenery with a playground and rest area, which in the 1960s was still farmland cultivated with vegetable gardens and artichokes, and which today is the main outdoor meeting point for this part of the city. Administratively, we are in the Province — now Metropolitan City — of Rome, in the Lazio region.

What to expect at the festival

The Giardinetti Carnival preserves the simple, time-tested formula of Roman neighborhood parties. Throughout the afternoon, the program typically includes:

• Costume parade and contest for neighborhood children, with symbolic prizes for the most creative outfits;
• Entertainment and games in the park's play area: inflatables, face painting, and hands-on workshops;
• Music and dancing, with DJ sets or sound systems managed by volunteers;
• Carnival snacks featuring traditional Lazio sweets — frappe, castagnole, and cream puffs — often prepared by the families themselves;
• Confetti and streamer tossing, the highlight for the little ones.

There are no monumental floats like those in Ronciglione or Poggio Mirteto: here, the value lies in the sense of proximity, in the fact that everything is free and stroller-friendly.

The meaning of a suburban festival

In Rome's large suburbs, structured meeting opportunities are rare, and neighborhood committees often play a vital supporting role. In this sense, the Carnival in Giardinetti has become much more than a date on the calendar: it is the moment when the park proves its purpose, and when neighbors who only pass each other at the Thursday market sit on the same bench. The 2025 edition, documented on the neighborhood's social media channels, was hailed by organizers as "a great success," with family turnout exceeding expectations.

A park that lives all year round

The Carnival is not the only event at Santarelli Park. Throughout the year, the green space hosts landscaping initiatives, spring festivals, and, more recently, stops on the summer program promoted by Municipality VI, featuring workshops for children, concerts, and shows. It is the sign of a place that, from an abandoned space, has become a small cultural infrastructure for the neighborhood.

When to go

The festival follows the movable Carnival calendar: in 2026, the reference period runs from Shrove Thursday, February 12, to Shrove Tuesday, February 17, with Carnival Sunday on February 15. Roman neighborhood festivals usually concentrate on the central weekend, in the afternoon. Since organization is entrusted to neighborhood volunteers, the exact date is announced just a few weeks in advance on local social media channels: it is best to check before setting off.