Patron Saint Festival of Sant'Agata
The patronal feast of Sant'Agata sul Santerno, a blend of faith, culture, and Romagnola conviviality
About Patron Saint Festival
A Village Festival in the Heart of Bassa Romagna
The Patron Saint Festival of Sant'Agata is the most cherished event of the year in Sant'Agata sul Santerno, a small municipality in Bassa Romagna, province of Ravenna, in Emilia-Romagna. Every winter, between late January and the first days of February, the village gathers around its patron saint with a week full of initiatives that intertwine faith, culture, games, and good food.
It's not the typical big headline event: it's a community festival, created by local associations and volunteers. The Municipality, the parish, the Pro Loco, the Ca' di Cuntadèn cultural center, the Compagni della Scuola, and the Kultura association collaborate to build a program that speaks the language of the village, Romagnola dialect, and focuses on bringing people together.
Culture, Memory, and Tradition
The intellectual heart of the festival is the cultural evening "Sant'Agata in Search of Its Past", now in its twenty-fifth edition: an event that each year brings together scholars and local history enthusiasts to talk about the territory, its events, and its memory, including recent pages marked by the floods that hit Romagna.
Alongside cultural meetings, there are dialect comedies by Romagnola theatre groups, exhibitions, musical evenings with songs from yesterday and today, and dialect jokes, events designed for children like the pajama party and guided tours, and conferences on current affairs and civic engagement.
The Festival Sunday
The highlight is the central Sunday, when the town center comes alive from the morning: in Piazza Ercole I Duca d'Este, the craft market and children's market are set up, while largo Margherita di Savoia hosts a small funfair. At noon, the Pro Loco's food stand opens, accompanied by music, leading up to the traditional afternoon maccheronata and comic-musical performances in the square.
A Culinary Finale
The festival concludes with conviviality at the lunch "Today's and Yesterday's Sant'Agata Residents... Meet at the Table", during which residents who have come from the furthest away are honored, and images shared by the community on social media are projected. A ritual that perfectly captures the spirit of this festival: gathering, remembering, and celebrating one's roots together.
Patron Saint Festival — edition 2026
The 2026 edition of the Patron Saint Festival of Sant'Agata animated the village from January 31 to February 8, confirming the formula that combines faith, culture, and conviviality. The main day, Sunday, February 1, brought markets, a small funfair, music, and the traditional maccheronata to the square. Throughout the week, there was also space for culture, dialect performances, and activities for the little ones, culminating in the community lunch.
Programme Patron Saint Festival 2026
Saturday, January 31
- 8:45 PM — Sala della ComunitĂ : The Casola Canina theatre group performs the dialect comedy "At voj bé… da murĂ", followed by a lottery draw.
Sunday, February 1
- 10:00 AM — Piazza Ercole I Duca d'Este: "Artigiano & friends" craft market and children's market; small funfair in Largo Margherita di Savoia.
- 12:00 PM — Opening of the Pro Loco food stand and music with DJ Fighèt.
- 3:30 PM — Piazza Umberto I: Comic-musical show with Andrea Marchi.
- 5:00 PM — Traditional maccheronata organized by the Pro Loco.
Tuesday, February 3
- 8:45 PM — Sala della Comunità : Cultural evening "Sant'Agata in Search of Its Past. XXV Edition 2002-2026", with presentations by Giovanni Baldini, Decio Testi, Patrizia and Candido Parrucci, Armanda Capucci, and the screening of the documentary "Romagna Mia – stories of floods".
Wednesday, February 4
- 6:00 PM–10:30 PM — Sala della Comunità : "Pajama Party" for children aged 6 to 13, organized by the Pro Loco.
Thursday, February 5
- 10:00 AM — Sala della Comunità : Guided tour for children of the exhibition "Che ne pensi?".
- 6:00 PM — Parish Church: Holy Mass of the Patron Saint.
Friday, February 6
- 8:45 PM — Sala della Comunità : Musical evening "Songs of Yesterday and Today" with Miranda and Stefano, interspersed with Romagnola jokes by Sergio Seganti.
Saturday, February 7
- 6:00 PM — Sala della Comunità : Public conference by Dr. Davide Mascanzoni on "The Invisible Wounds of Bullying" (free admission).
Sunday, February 8
- 12:30 PM — Sala della Comunità : Traditional lunch "Today's and Yesterday's Sant'Agata Residents... Meet at the Table", with awards for residents who traveled the furthest and projection of photos from the Facebook group "Sei di Sant'Agata se…".
Highlights Patron Saint Festival 2026
Prices Patron Saint Festival 2026
Practical information — Patron Saint Festival
Where
Events take place in Sant'Agata sul Santerno (RA), between the Sala della ComunitĂ , the parish church, and the squares of the center (Piazza Ercole I Duca d'Este, Piazza Umberto I, Largo Margherita di Savoia).
How to get there
Sant'Agata sul Santerno is located in Bassa Romagna, a few kilometers from Lugo and Bagnacavallo. By car, it is accessible via the Statale 253 San Vitale road; the nearest train station is Lugo, on the Castel Bolognese–Lavezzola line.
Costs and Reservations
Many events are free admission. For the final lunch and some initiatives, reservations are required: information at the Pro Loco and the Municipality.
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Where does it take place — Patron Saint Festival
Sala della ComunitĂ , Chiesa parrocchiale e piazze del paese