La Notte BiancaWhether you're planning a visit to Rome, or already living here, it's good to know which annual events and festivals are coming up. Rome has a great schedule of these events, although there have been budget cuts in recent years—La Notte Bianca in particular is a shadow of its former self (and may well have finished altogether).
In the menu on the right, you'll see a list of some of these annual events, arranged by type: the biggest sporting event of the year is the Rome Marathon in the spring, although its little cousin the Roma-Ostia Half Marathon is popular too. We've listed a couple of free music festivals, and Rome's main film festivals. You'll also see some other arts & culture events, including the photogaphy festival FotoGrafia, and the Festival delle Letterature, which attracts authors from around the world, and features readings in English as well as Italian.
Wherever possible, our listings also provide the address of the official event websites, although these vary enormously in quality.
If you're thinking of planning a holiday around one of these events, bear in mind that hotels can fill up pretty quickly at these dates. See our section on places to stay for information on hotels and convents that might be worth trying.