Regina Pacis Festival

A festival born with modern Ostia

The Regina Pacis Festival is the patronal feast of Ostia Lido, the seaside district of the Municipality of Rome, in the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, Lazio. It is centered around the Basilica of Santa Maria Regina Pacis, the oldest church in the district, designed by architect Giulio Magni and inaugurated in 1928. Since that year, the community has celebrated the Virgin Queen of Peace on the last weekend of September. In 2025, the festival reached its 96th edition, a testament to the continuity of a tradition that remains deeply rooted and popular to this day.

The procession to the sea

The most anticipated moment is the Saturday evening procession: the sacred image leaves the basilica and travels through the streets of Ostia's historic center, from Piazza Regina Pacis to Viale Paolo Orlando, passing through Piazza Anco Marzio and the streets leading to the seafront. The procession concludes at the pier, where the blessing of the sea, the fishermen, and the law enforcement officers stationed on their vessels takes place, followed by a floral tribute in memory of those who lost their lives at sea. It is a scene that perfectly captures the identity of Ostia, a fishing village turned Roman seaside resort. Upon the return of the image to the basilica, a fireworks display illuminates the coastline.

Rites, music, and culture

The religious program begins with the Triduum of preparation, featuring morning Eucharistic adoration, the rosary, and evening mass, and continues with a solemn concelebration presided over by a bishop of the Diocese of Rome, attended by the presbytery of Ostia, religious communities, and civil and military authorities. Alongside the religious celebrations, a secular program is organized by the Pro Loco Ostia Mare di Roma in collaboration with the parish, featuring musical evenings, theatrical performances, literary readings, and band concerts—in recent years including the Band of the Local Police of Rome Capital—as well as events dedicated to local school students.

Food stalls and neighborhood atmosphere

In the area adjacent to the basilica, parish scouts set up food stalls, open during the weekend evenings, while a stage hosts the nightly performances. This is the most convivial side of the festival: families, children, and residents gather in the square after the celebrations in a format that blends devotion with neighborhood life, making the event accessible to everyone, including visitors arriving from central Rome for the day.

A free event for everyone

• Free admission to all celebrations, performances, and the procession
• Procession to the pier with the blessing of the sea and fishermen
• Fireworks on the coast upon the return of the sacred image
• Food stalls run by parish scouts
• Readings and theatrical performances in the basilica, featuring nationally renowned artists

How it fits into the Roman summer

Held at the end of September, the Regina Pacis Festival ideally closes the Roman coastal season: the beaches have emptied, but the district fills for a few nights with lights, music, and song. For visitors, it is an unusual opportunity to experience Ostia beyond its seaside cliché, just a stone's throw from the Borgo of Ostia Antica and the archaeological park, and to see how a great metropolis like Rome preserves, within its districts, patronal feasts with a still-village-like soul.