Piazza Navona hosts Festa della Befana from 1 December

Piazza Navona will host the municipal Festa della Befana in Rome from 1 December 2026, giving visitors a confirmed seasonal event in the square during the run-up to Christmas. The public festival is scheduled to continue until 6 January 2027 under a multi-year notice issued by Roma Capitale.

Festa della Befana starts in Piazza Navona on 1 December

The city’s notice sets the annual event period in Piazza Navona from 1 December until 6 January of the following year. The 2026-2027 edition therefore begins on 1 December 2026 and ends on 6 January 2027, within the winter travel period for visitors from Western Europe.

The document concerns a public festival with market activity in the square. It provides for stalls offering Christmas trees, decorations, nativity items, toys, children’s books, craft goods and traditional regional food products. The notice also states that the festival is subject to safety arrangements and individual concessions. The municipal Festa della Befana notice covers editions through 2027-2028.

Seasonal stalls meet Rome’s Baroque fountains

The festival takes place in one of Rome’s most recognisable urban spaces, whose present outline follows the former Stadium of Domitian. The stadium was built in 86 AD, and parts of its remains survive below the modern street level and beneath Sant’Agnese in Agone.

The square is dominated by Sant’Agnese in Agone, begun by Carlo and Girolamo Rainaldi and substantially modified by Borromini. Three fountains occupy the piazza, including Bernini’s Fountain of the Four Rivers at its centre. The Turismo Roma fountain guide records that the work was unveiled on 12 June 1651.

That setting gives the 2026 festival a clearly defined relationship with the monument: the seasonal market will be placed around a Baroque composition of architecture, sculpture and fountains rather than in a temporary venue outside the historic centre. The Fountain of the Four Rivers also provides a fixed point for identifying the event area.

What the 2026 notice confirms for visitors

The notice confirms the event period and the broad categories of activity, but it does not provide a full daily cultural programme for the 2026-2027 edition. Visitors should therefore treat 1 December 2026 to 6 January 2027 as the municipal festival period, rather than assuming that every listed activity will take place on every day.

The event’s name refers to Befana, the Italian Epiphany tradition associated with 6 January. The current notice establishes that the annual festival ends on that date, while the detailed schedule of performances and other activities may be set out separately by the city.

Visiting Piazza Navona: what travellers from Western Europe should know

• The confirmed festival period is 1 December 2026 to 6 January 2027, with Piazza Navona as the venue.
• The municipal notice describes a public festival with seasonal stalls, craft products, toys, nativity items, children’s books and traditional regional food products.
• The square is in central Rome and is identified by the Fountain of the Four Rivers, Sant’Agnese in Agone and two further fountains.
• The venue is an open urban square formed over the outline of the Stadium of Domitian, whose remains lie below the modern street level.

These dates place the festival across December 2026 and the Epiphany period in January 2027.

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Frequently asked questions about Piazza Navona

When does Festa della Befana take place at Piazza Navona?

The municipal festival is scheduled from 1 December 2026 to 6 January 2027.

What is Piazza Navona?

It is a historic square in Rome formed over the outline of the Stadium of Domitian and known for its Baroque fountains.

Where is Piazza Navona and how do you get there?

Piazza Navona is in central Rome, beside Sant’Agnese in Agone and the Fountain of the Four Rivers.