RisoMania
The rice festival in the heart of Lomellina
About RisoMania
Garlasco, capital of Lomellina rice
RisoMania is the festival celebrating the deep bond between Garlasco (Province of Pavia) and rice. We are in the heart of Lomellina, one of the most important rice-growing areas in Europe, with about eighty thousand hectares of rice paddies that shape the landscape of the Pavia plain. For a weekend, the historic center transforms into a large taste laboratory, with show cooking, tastings, and rice culture.
Show cooking, challenges, and tradition
The festival animates Piazza Repubblica, Piazza Piccola, Corso Cavour, Via Roma, and Largo I Maggio with a program that blends haute cuisine and popular tradition:
- Show cooking with national chefs, including consultants for television programs;
- Risotto challenges between Pro Loco (local associations) and local restaurateurs;
- Miss Mondina, the election that pays homage to the historic female rice field workers;
- Exhibition of agricultural machinery related to rice cultivation;
- Live music, itinerant concerts, DJ sets, and themed evenings;
- Children's area with inflatables and entertainment.
An inclusive festival
RisoMania is not just about gastronomy: the festival offers inclusive show cooking with the participation of local social centers and moments to promote Lomellina's peasant culture, such as songs and dances in the farmyard. An event that tells the identity of Garlasco and Lomellina starting from the symbolic dish of Pavia cuisine, risotto.
RisoMania — edition 2026
The 2026 edition, the fourth, takes place on June 6 and 7 between Piazza Repubblica, Piazza Piccola, Corso Cavour, Via Roma, and Largo I Maggio, opening from 10:30 AM with free admission. Among the guests is chef Rubina Rovini, consultant for MasterChef Italia, and an Italo-Japanese fusion cooking show. There are also risotto challenges between Pro Loco (local associations) and restaurateurs, the debut of the Miss Mondina election, an exhibition of agricultural machinery, and a children's area.
Programme RisoMania 2026
Saturday, June 6
- 10:30 AM — Opening with band performance
- 11:30 AM — Show cooking by Rubina Rovini (MasterChef Italia consultant)
- 12:30 PM — Tasting of the inaugural risotto
- 3:00 PM-5:00 PM — Itinerant concerts
- 3:30 PM — Inclusive show cooking "Sor Riso" with social centers
- 5:30 PM — Apeririso (rice aperitif) with DJ
- 7:00 PM — Risotto challenge between Pro Loco (local associations)
- 10:00 PM — "NuOVANTA" 90s-2000s party
Sunday, June 7
- 10:30 AM — Reopening of stands
- 11:30 AM — "Italo-Japanese Fusion" Show cooking (Morimoto family and Okomesan)
- 12:30 PM — Tasting of the Sunday risotto
- 3:00 PM-5:00 PM — Concerts and "Songs and Dances in the Farmyard"
- Election of Miss Mondina (Junior and Senior)
- 5:30 PM — Apeririso Live with The Hecklers
- 7:00 PM — Risotto challenge between restaurateurs
- 10:00 PM — Final DJ set
For both days: children's area with inflatables in Piazza Piccola and "Risomania on Display" exhibition.
Highlights RisoMania 2026
Prices RisoMania 2026
Practical information — RisoMania
How to get there
Garlasco is located in the province of Pavia, along the SS596 dei Cairoli. It is connected by train on the Mortara-Pavia line. The festival takes place in the historic center, largely pedestrianized during the event.
Admission and hours
Free admission. Festival areas generally open from 10:30 AM. Kitchens and stands are active throughout the day.
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Where does it take place — RisoMania
Centro storico (Piazza Repubblica, Corso Cavour, Via Roma)
Piazza della Repubblica, 27026 Garlasco