Monte Cervialto Portico Folk Carnival

A neighborhood Carnival under the porticoes

The Monte Cervialto Portico Folk Carnival is one of the most genuine celebrations the City of Rome, in the Lazio region, has to offer during the Carnival season. There are no monumental floats or paid grandstands here: this is a Carnival of courtyards and porticoes, made of masked children, background music, shared tables, and neighbors reuniting. The event takes place in the Nuovo Salario district, within the Montesacro area of Municipio III, framed by the portico on Via di Monte Cervialto.

The Porticoes: from abandoned space to cultural hub

The history of the site is an integral part of the celebration. Built in the 1960s as a shopping arcade with about thirty shops, the Portici di Monte Cervialto remained abandoned for nearly twenty years, with broken windows and vacant storefronts. Since 2021, a citizens' committee has launched an urban regeneration project that transformed the arcade into a local cultural center, now part of the Rome Capitale Civic Center network. This experience gave birth to the summer arena and the Porticiak festival, and, in the colder season, this very Folk Carnival.

What happens during the festival

The day is designed primarily for local families and children, but everyone is welcome: admission is free and participation is open to all ages. The common thread is sharing, with respect for everyone.

• Masks and costumes: free choice of costumes, no competitions or rankings
• Live music and DJ sets under the portico
• Entertainment and games for the little ones
• Shared food: Carnival sweets, frappe, and castagnole brought by residents
• Workshops and activities hosted by local associations

From Medieval Carnival to Folk Carnival

The festival inherits the legacy of the Medieval Carnival that the La Cresceria Association organized in the same spaces in previous seasons, reaching its third edition in 2025: a morning dedicated to the atmosphere of the Middle Ages, when comedy and popular entertainment were the absolute stars. With the involvement of Periferiacapitale, the Italian Charlemagne Foundation's program dedicated to Rome's suburbs, the event has taken on a broader and more distinctly popular form, while maintaining the same community spirit.

Why it's worth visiting

Those looking for a spectacular Carnival will find large parades elsewhere. You come to the Porticoes instead to understand how Carnival is truly experienced in Rome's neighborhoods: a self-produced, free festival that is also a political and emotional gesture of reclaiming public space. It is also a useful opportunity for those visiting the Capital who want to see a different side of Rome, away from the historic center and tourist circuits, just minutes from the Grande Raccordo Anulare and Via Salaria.

The context: Carnival in Municipio III

The Monte Cervialto event is part of a wider calendar of Carnival initiatives spread across Municipio III, which in recent seasons has involved Viale Gottardo, Piazza Sempione, the Viale Adriatico market, and Piazza degli Euganei with circus shows, theater, music, and dance, all with free admission. A polycentric festival model that brings entertainment out of monumental squares and into residential neighborhoods.