Navigli Festival

The festival that inaugurates Milan's summer

The Navigli Festival is one of Milan's most beloved and popular events. It traditionally takes place on the first Sunday of June, coinciding with Republic Day, along the banks of the Naviglio Grande and Naviglio Pavese, in the famous Navigli district (Municipality 1 and Municipality 6). It is the event that, in fact, kicks off the city's summer season of festivals and cultural events.

Historical origins

The festival, born in the early seventies, has its roots in an ancient procession dedicated to San Cristoforo dating back to the 14th century. The Navigli are a historic system of artificial canals built starting in the 12th century to connect Milan to Lombardy's rivers and lakes, and developed in the 15th century also thanks to Leonardo da Vinci's studies on locks. Celebrating the Navigli therefore means rediscovering a fundamental piece of Milan's identity and history.

Stalls, shows, and water competitions

For the occasion, the canals are specially illuminated, and the banks fill with about 150 stalls offering crafts, food, sweets, flowers, toys, and clothing. The program is very rich: games, music, theater and folklore shows, traditional dances, concerts, songs, fireworks, photography and painting exhibitions, and sports competitions, including a famous swimming race in the canal.

The torchlight procession

Closing the day is the evocative torchlight procession along the water, a symbolic and traditional moment that gives the Navigli area a unique atmosphere. Amidst handmade artistic craft stalls, folklore shows, and live music, the Navigli Festival attracts tens of thousands of visitors from Milan and all over Lombardy each year, on one of the liveliest and most colorful days of early summer.