Tivoli Birthday Festival
Every April, the city marks the anniversary of its legendary founding in 1215 BC.
About Tivoli Birthday
A city over three thousand years old
The Tivoli Birthday Festival is the civic celebration through which the city marks the anniversary of its founding every year in April. According to tradition, ancient Tibur was founded in 1215 BC by the hero Tiburto, who arrived in Lazio with his brothers Corace and Catillo: a legendary date that makes Tivoli over four centuries older than Rome. In 2026, the event reached its 3241st symbolic edition, a number that alone speaks to the historical depth of this corner of the Metropolitan City of Rome Capital, in the Lazio Region.
A widespread festival in the historic center
More than just a single event, the Tivoli Birthday Festival is a unified cultural program that spans nearly a month, embracing the city's iconic landmarks: the Rocca Pia, a 15th-century fortress commissioned by Pope Pius II; the Scuderie Estensi; the Sala Roesler Franz; the Municipal Library; the City Museum; the Anfiteatro di Bleso; and the Sanctuary of Hercules Victor. The schedule, coordinated by the Municipality of Tivoli through the Office of Cultural Sites, is built in partnership with local associations, schools, scholars, and Tiburtine entities through a public call for interest.
Exhibitions, pages, and community
The program is structured around recurring themes: Visions, featuring temporary exhibitions of painting, photography, sculpture, and installations linked to Tivoli and its landscape; Local Pages, with book presentations, studies, and scientific conferences dedicated to local figures and themes; Community on Stage, the concluding open day for local cultural associations; and Widespread Tivoli, initiatives promoted by the neighborhoods. These are joined by historical re-enactments such as the Ancient Greek Olympics at the Anfiteatro di Bleso, theatrical performances on the myth of the founding, guided walks through the medieval center, Roman sanctuaries, and travertine quarries, nature excursions in the Monte Catillo Reserve and along the Aniene river, as well as days dedicated to sports and dance.
The context: Tivoli, a crossroads of art and culture
The festival is also an invitation to rediscover a city that guards two UNESCO sites, Villa Adriana and Villa d'Este, in addition to the Villa Gregoriana Park and a historic center layered from the Roman age to the Middle Ages. The Tivoli Birthday Festival highlights this role as a crossroads of arts, spirituality, and knowledge, involving institutions such as the Literary Parks and the Ministry of Culture. For visitors, it is the ideal opportunity to combine a visit to the great villas with a calendar of almost entirely free events.
When to go
The event takes place every year between the beginning and end of April, with the highlight around April 5th, the traditional date of the city's birthday. Weekends concentrate exhibitions, guided tours, and re-enactments, while weekdays are dominated by conferences and editorial presentations.
Tivoli Birthday — edition 2026
The 3241st birthday of the city
For the 2026 edition, the Municipality of Tivoli created a widespread program from April 2 to 29, aiming to enhance the heritage and the city's role as a crossroads of culture, spirituality, and knowledge, in collaboration with the Literary Parks, the Ministry of Culture, Visit Tivoli, and local associations. The unified program, selected through a public call, focused between April 3 and 26 with four strands: the thematic exhibitions of Visions, the editorial meetings of Local Pages, the Community on Stage open day on April 26, and the neighborhood initiatives of Widespread Tivoli.
Main highlights
At the Rocca Pia, the exhibition cycle dedicated to water, environment, and landscape between contemporary art and research remained open on weekends from April 3 to 26; the Scuderie Estensi hosted exhibitions and presentations, while the Sala Roesler Franz welcomed photographic displays dedicated to the city. Among the most identifying events were the re-enactments at the Anfiteatro di Bleso, the study day on Saint Ignatius at the Sanctuary of Hercules Victor (April 21), and the International Dance Day at the Palazzetto Paolo Tosto at the end of the month. Events were free of charge.
Programme Tivoli Birthday 2026
Exhibitions
- April 3-26 — Rocca Pia: thematic exhibition cycle on water, environment, and landscape (Fri, Sat, Sun, and holidays, 10 am-7 pm)
- Scuderie Estensi — "Tivoli and its Territory" and "Landscapes of the Soul" exhibitions
- April 10-12 — Sala Roesler Franz: "Imprints of Tivoli" exhibition (10 am-7 pm)
- April 17-19 — Sala Roesler Franz: Leoclick photographic exhibition "Tiburtine Atmospheres" (10 am-7 pm)
Presentations and conferences
- Saturday, April 11, 10:30 am — Scuderie Estensi: presentation of the book "The Adventures of Tiburto Tiburtino"
- Thursday, April 16, 5 pm — City Museum: "Imperials in the Villa – Roman Imperial Residences in Lazio"
- Friday, April 17, 4 pm — Municipal Library: The Coccanari de' Fornari Fund and the history of the Library Palace
- Friday, April 17, 5 pm — Scuderie Estensi: "Harmony of the Two Worlds", climate resilience and psychology
- Tuesday, April 21, from 9 am — Sanctuary of Hercules Victor: study day "Saint Ignatius in Tivoli. The spiritual and academic legacy"
Excursions and guided tours
- Saturday, April 11, 3-7 pm — Villa Adriana Learning Center: "Happy Birthday Tivoli"
- Sunday, April 12, 9 am — nature excursion in the Monte Catillo Reserve (departure Arco di Quintiliolo)
- Saturday, April 18, 10 am-7 pm — "Grand Tour in Tivoli" (Piazza del Plebiscito)
- Sunday, April 19, 10:30 am — "Tivoli on the Move", walk in the historic center from Piazza Rivarola
Sport, environment, and community
- April 11-12, 9:30 am-7 pm — "Tivoli City of Sport" at the Sports City
- Sunday, April 12, 10:30 am-6 pm — Rocca Pia: "The Aniene between myths and plastic"
- Sunday, April 19, 9:30 am — "Come with us, the community unites" from Piazza Rivarola
- Sunday, April 26 — "Community on Stage": open day of local cultural associations
- Wednesday, April 29 — Palazzetto Paolo Tosto: International Dance Day
Highlights Tivoli Birthday 2026
- 3241st anniversary of the legendary founding of Tivoli (1215 BC)
- Exhibition cycle at Rocca Pia on water, environment, and landscape
- Study day on Saint Ignatius at the Sanctuary of Hercules Victor
- Guided walks, excursions to Monte Catillo and along the Aniene
- Final open day "Community on Stage" and International Dance Day
Prices Tivoli Birthday 2026
Practical information — Tivoli Birthday
How to get there
By train: regional line Rome-Tivoli-Avezzano from Roma Tiburtina (approx. 40-60 minutes); from Tivoli station, the historic center is reachable on foot.
By bus: Cotral connections from Rome Ponte Mammolo (Metro B) via Tiburtina or the motorway.
By car: A24 Rome-L'Aquila motorway, exit Tivoli, then SS5 Tiburtina; parking near Ponte Gregoriano and Piazza Garibaldi.
Admission
The initiatives of the Tivoli Birthday Festival are largely free; some guided tours and excursions may require booking.
Contacts
Office of Cultural Sites of the Municipality of Tivoli: tel. +39 0774 453383, email [email protected].
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Where does it take place — Tivoli Birthday
Centro storico di Tivoli (Rocca Pia, Scuderie Estensi, Anfiteatro di Bleso)
Piazza del Governo 1, 00019 Tivoli