Viadibanda – Street Arts and Marching Bands Festival

A village turned into a stage

Born to celebrate street music and the performing arts, Viadibanda is the Street Arts and Marching Bands Festival of San Donato Val di Comino, in the province of Frosinone, Lazio. For three days, during the last weekend of July, the historic center of the village—perched on the slopes of the Comino Valley, at the gates of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park—comes alive with parades, roving concerts, and scattered performances. The shows have no fixed stage: marching bands, street artists, jugglers, acrobats, and musicians move through the alleys and squares, erasing the distance between the performance and the audience.

Marching bands, the heart of the festival

The hallmark of Viadibanda is its marching bands, arriving from all over Italy and abroad: brass and percussion ensembles in vibrant costumes that march through the town, drawing the public into a continuous flow of music. The 2025 edition concluded with a memorable moment: seven bands united in one grand parade, with over 160 musicians playing simultaneously in a single village, in a single sound—a finale conceived as an attempt to enter the Guinness World Records.

Street arts and contemporary circus

Alongside the bands, the program spans contemporary circus, street theatre, clowning, theatrical improvisation, and art installations. The shows are complemented by creative workshops for all ages, craft markets, and stands featuring the food and wine specialties of the Comino Valley: a format designed for families as well as live performance enthusiasts.

The 2026 edition: "Babylon"

From July 24th to 26th, 2026, the festival celebrates its twelfth edition with the theme "Babylon", which—in the words of artistic director Gianluca Terenzi—tells the story of the encounter between peoples, cultures, and artistic languages. The lineup features musical bands, international performers and artists, contemporary circus companies, street theatre, installations, and local food and wine trails. For Mayor Enrico Pittiglio, reaching the twelfth edition means having built, year after year, an event recognized and anticipated far beyond the local borders.

A success that has grown year after year

Supported from the start by the local area and promoted by the Municipality of San Donato Val di Comino under the artistic direction of Gianluca Terenzi, Viadibanda has become one of the flagship events of the summer in Ciociaria: the 2025 edition, titled "Terra Matta", attracted over 25,000 people in three days. Cultural delegate Francesca Perrella defines it as a cultural heritage of the community and a reference point for the entire territory.

San Donato Val di Comino and the Comino Valley

The festival is also an opportunity to discover San Donato Val di Comino, a stone-built village in the Lazio Region overlooking the Comino Valley, filled with alleys, stairways, and panoramic views of the National Park mountains. During Viadibanda, the town's streets are scented with local products, and the festivities extend late into the night with concerts, parades, and tastings.