Latium World Folkloric Festival (Cisterna di Latina stage)

World folklore in Cisterna di Latina

Every summer, the Latium World Folkloric Festival travels across the Lazio region with its international delegations, including a stop in Cisterna di Latina, in the Province of Latina. For one evening, the heart of the city transforms into an open-air stage where traditional music and dance groups from different continents share their costumes, instruments, and dances with the public. It is one of the most anticipated events of the Cisterna summer, attracting families, curious visitors, and fans of popular traditions.

The world parade on Corso della Repubblica

The Cisterna stage opens with the world folklore parade along Corso della Repubblica: groups march in traditional attire, accompanied by live music, until they reach Piazza XIX Marzo, where the evening show takes place. Ritual dances, songs, percussion, and choreography alternate on stage, often joined by the Leone Rampante flag-throwers of Cori, who represent the local folklore of Lazio alongside the foreign delegations. Admission to the parade and the square performances is free for everyone.

A network of Lazio municipalities, led by Cori

The festival is a traveling event involving numerous towns in the region: besides Cisterna di Latina, it visits places like Cori, Rome, Segni, Sabaudia, Paliano, Rocca Massima, and other historic centers of Lazio, with the final gala evenings hosted in Cori, the lead municipality. The organization is managed by the Latium Cultural Association together with the Municipality of Cori and local volunteer groups, under the direction of Tommaso Ducci. The event is affiliated with CIOFF (International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts) and is under the patronage of UNESCO.

A festival for the culture of peace

The Latium World Folkloric Festival was founded with the goal of creating opportunities for connection between young people and the peoples of the world, promoting a culture of peace through intercultural exchange. Over the years, it has hosted approximately three hundred young artists from countries such as Mexico, New Zealand, Colombia, Puerto Rico, the United States, Benin, and Senegal, featuring Maori dances, Latin American rhythms, and African traditions. For Cisterna di Latina, this stage represents an opportunity to open up to the world and showcase its historic center.

Cisterna di Latina and the Pontine Province

Located at the foot of the Lepini Mountains, between Rome and Latina, Cisterna di Latina is a town of ancient traditions in the heart of the Agro Pontino. Hosting a stage of the Latium World Folkloric Festival means integrating the city into a cultural circuit that unites the villages of Lazio and puts them in dialogue with popular cultures from around the globe. The folkloric evening in Piazza XIX Marzo has thus become one of the signature events of the Cisterna summer.