Rice Festival

The Rice Festival in the Milanese Countryside

The Rice Festival is one of the most cherished events of the year in Zibido San Giacomo, a municipality in the Metropolitan City of Milan nestled in the Parco Agricolo Sud, right in the heart of Lombardy's rice-growing plains. For three days at the end of May, Piazza Roma becomes the center of village life, with stalls, the aroma of risotto, and music until late at night.

An Established Tradition

Now in its twenty-fifth edition in 2026, the festival is organized by the municipal offices together with the Pro Loco, the Events/Culture/Library committee, Civil Protection, and the San Giacomo oratory. The common thread remains rice, the historic raw material of this territory of irrigation canals and water meadows on the outskirts of Milan: the Pro Loco's charity risotto opens the evenings and raises funds for local projects.

What You'll Find in the Square

Alongside the food, the program combines various activities for all ages:

• the ZiCanta singing contest, with performances by local contestants;
• concerts and live music by bands on the Piazza Roma stage;
• the market for hobbyists and artisans and stalls from local associations;
• workshops and entertainment for the little ones;
• street food trucks and dinner at the San Giacomo oratory.

The event, in the municipality of Zibido San Giacomo (province of Milan, Lombardy), is co-financed by the regional project Lombardia Style 2026 and has free admission. It's an opportunity to discover an agricultural village in the southern belt of Milan, a few kilometers from the capital but still tied to the rhythms of the countryside.