Pro Loco Carnival

A town square Carnival in the heart of Ciociaria

The Pro Loco Carnival is the costume party with which the town of Roccasecca, in the province of Frosinone, bids farewell to the carnival season. The event is traditionally held on the afternoon of Shrove Tuesday in Piazza Risorgimento, the town's most popular urban space—a deliberate choice, as the square remains the natural gathering place for the local community, requiring no fences or tickets.

Roccasecca lies on the slopes of Mount Asprano, along the Liri Valley, in a part of southern Lazio that blends the medieval memory of the Counts of Aquino castle—where Saint Thomas Aquinas is traditionally said to have been born—with the vitality of a town driven by community associations. The Pro Loco Carnival belongs to this second dimension: it is a celebration built by local volunteers, not a spectacle designed for mass tourism.

What happens in the square

The afternoon is organized as a long, continuous animation session, without a central stage separating the public from the performers. Recurring elements include:

• Magic shows, with magicians working closely with children in costume;
• Soap bubble shows, one of the most photographed moments of the day;
• Games and entertainment spread throughout the square;
• Free distribution of candy, cotton candy, and popcorn.

For the 2025 edition, the Pro Loco added the «Draw your mask» competition, created in collaboration with the primary school classes of the Roccasecca Comprehensive Institute. This detail speaks volumes about the event's philosophy: the celebration does not come from the outside, but is prepared in the preceding weeks by the local children, who then see their own work displayed in the square.

A free, family-friendly celebration

The Pro Loco Carnival has no entry fee and requires no reservations. There are no monumental floats like in Italy's major historical carnivals: the scale is intentionally local, and the target audience is families with young children and primary school students. Visitors from out of town will find a short but authentic celebration—just a few hours in the afternoon—with the cross-generational participation of grandparents, parents, and children. As Pro Loco president Fabrizio Torriero summarized when presenting the 2025 edition, the idea is to host «a lovely event to celebrate Carnival, full of activities and fun»: a modest statement of intent, consistent with the event's character.

Carnival in the Roccasecca calendar

The event is part of an association calendar that the Roccasecca Pro Loco enlivens throughout the year, from the winter Broccoletto Festival—dedicated to the local signature agricultural product—to summer initiatives in the square. For visitors traveling through the Ciociaria region, the Carnival is an opportunity to see the town in its daily dimension, away from the more beaten paths of Lower Lazio.

When to go

The date follows the movable Easter calendar and always falls on Shrove Tuesday, between February and early March. In 2025, the party was held on March 4th, starting at 3:00 PM. Since the Pro Loco announces the program only a few days in advance, it is best to check the date and time on the association's social media channels or in the local Frosinone press in the weeks immediately preceding the event.