Musica e Sapori - Vejano Band Festival

A festival born from the local band

In Vejano, a small village in the Tuscia area of Viterbo, music has been serious business for over a century. The Associazione Filarmonica Vejanese, founded in 1906 and re-established in 1977, is the beating heart of the town's cultural life. With nearly one hundred musicians and a music school for all ages, the band is a staple of local traditions, including the famous Trasporto della Macchina di Santa Rosa in Viterbo. Since the early 1990s, the band has been led by maestro Antonio Moretti, who has expanded their repertoire from classical to pop music.

Musica e Sapori, the Band Festival

This history gave rise to "Musica e Sapori," the Band Festival that transforms Vejano's historic center into an open-air stage every mid-August weekend. Since its inception in the early 1990s, the event has celebrated over thirty-five editions. The 2024 festival took place from August 16th to 18th, filling Piazza XX Settembre with three days of concerts, parades, and food stalls.

Three days of music and entertainment

The festival follows a tried-and-tested ritual. It kicks off on Friday afternoon with a band parade through the village streets, followed by the opening of the charity raffle and food stalls. Evenings are dedicated to concerts in the square, featuring a variety of performers over the years: accordionists, tribute bands (Pino Daniele, Pooh, Vasco Rossi), folk groups like La Frustica, and traveling jazz ensembles like the Fire Dixie Jazz Band, as well as a tribute to Ennio Morricone featuring trumpeter Nello Salza. There is plenty for children, too, with nightly baby dance sessions and the "Banda Splash" team games tournament on Sunday morning.

The Sunday band gathering

The highlight is the band gathering on Sunday afternoon, where brass bands, majorettes, and flag-wavers from across the Viterbo province and the Lazio region parade through the village and perform in the square. It is a colorful tribute to popular music that concludes the festival before the final prize draw.

Gnocchi and the flavors of Tuscia

The other soul of the festival is its gastronomy. The gnocchi stall, serving the traditional local recipe, is the event's signature, complemented by afternoon fried pizzetta and other classic Lazio dishes. In recent years, the organizers have switched to compostable and biodegradable tableware to make the festival more environmentally friendly.

Vejano and the 2026 edition

The festival is promoted by the Associazione Filarmonica Vejanese with the support of the local community and the Municipality of Vejano, an Etruscan-origin village dominated by the Orsini Castle in the heart of the Lazio Tuscia. The 2026 edition has not yet been officially announced, but based on tradition, it is expected to take place over the weekend in mid-August. We recommend following the Philharmonic's social media channels for definitive dates and program updates.