San Giovanni – The Summer Festival

The festival that opens the Cesena summer

Every year, around June 24, the historic center of Cesena lights up for San Giovanni – The Summer Festival, the event that for generations has marked the beginning of the warm season in this city in Romagna, the provincial capital along with Forlì of the Province of Forlì-Cesena, in Emilia-Romagna. Five days of celebration that combine the sacred dimension of the patronal feast with the popular dimension of a fair with centuries-old roots.

A patronal feast with medieval roots

Saint John the Baptist has been the patron saint of Cesena since the Middle Ages, when the city welcomed a group of exiles from Fiesole. On June 24, the day of the feast, the Cathedral hosts the solemn Pontifical Mass celebrated by the Bishop: for the occasion, a precious illuminated Gradual from the renowned Malatestiana Library, featuring depictions of the Baptist's birth, is displayed. Around this religious core unfolds a widespread celebration that involves the entire city.

Twelve stages, fifty events

The heart of the festival is the performance program: during the evenings, the historic center comes alive with twelve performance stages featuring over fifty events. Live concerts, DJ sets, various types of dances (Latin, swing, folk, contemporary, classical, flamenco, hip hop, breakdance), plays, readings, magic and illusionism shows alternate in the squares and streets, from the Serravalle Gardens to Piazza Almerici, from Piazza Albizzi to Piazza Guidazzi. The quadrilateral of the Streets of Magic transforms into a path of tarot cards, spells, stories, and illusionism, awaiting the witches on the night of San Giovanni.

The fair and traditions

Alongside the performances, the grand fair takes place: stalls, car exhibitions, a green corner dedicated to plants and gardening, an antique market along Via Zeffirino Re, regional gastronomic specialties, and stands for home products. The symbols of the San Giovanni tradition are unmissable: lavender, to which an entire street is dedicated, garlic braids, and the famous sugar whistles, for which a workshop for children is also held at the covered market.

An event for the whole city

San Giovanni is a popular festival in the truest sense: free, open to all, and spread throughout the squares, gardens, courtyards, and arcades of Cesena. Between social dances, traditional Romagna games like Maraffone, charity dinners, sports tournaments, and the extraordinary opening of the Bonci Theatre, it is the time when the entire city gathers in the center to welcome the arrival of summer.