Night of San Lorenzo in Cervia

The night of shooting stars on the Cervia Riviera

Every August 10th, the town of Cervia, on the coast of the Province of Ravenna in Emilia-Romagna, gathers for the Night of San Lorenzo, one of the most heartfelt and poetic events of the Adriatic summer. It is the night of wishes and shooting stars, when you look up at the sky hoping to catch a falling star to make a wish. In Cervia, tradition intertwines with the sea: according to popular belief, a swim on San Lorenzo's day "is worth seven" and has almost therapeutic powers to ward off winter ailments.

From the historic center to the beach

The festival spans the entire day and the whole city. In the late afternoon, the heart of the events is the historic center, with the historic Piazza Garibaldi hosting the town band's concert and the charity tombola, a much-anticipated community event whose proceeds traditionally support local charities, such as the Cervia nursing home. As evening falls, the atmosphere shifts towards the Grazia Deledda seafront and the free beach, where a market of sweets, toys, and gastronomic products livens up the promenade until night.

Dinners by the sea and fireworks over the water

Cervia's bathing establishments stay open exceptionally late and transform the beach into a seaside lounge: romantic dinners with feet in the sand, live music, and DJ sets, lanterns, and candles. The most anticipated moment arrives around midnight, when the great fireworks display over the sea lights up from the free beach: about twenty-five minutes of lights, colors, luminous trails, golds, and silvers reflecting on the Adriatic, providing an unforgettable backdrop to the midsummer night.

A tradition of the entire Cervia community

Organized by the Municipality of Cervia with the involvement of the Bagnini Cooperative and local businesses along the seafront, the Night of San Lorenzo is a free popular festival that tells the soul of the Romagna Riviera: hospitality, conviviality, and love for the sea. For visitors to Cervia in summer, it is the perfect opportunity to experience the beach in a different way, under the stars, on one of the most magical nights of the year.