Taormina Events

Taormina's calendar is built around its theatre, which is unusual for a town of this size — the venue is two thousand years old and still sets the year's rhythm.

Taormina Film Fest — June or July

One of the older film festivals in Italy, running since the 1950s, and staged principally in the Teatro Antico. Screenings are held after dark on a large screen set against the ruined stage wall, with Etna behind it and several thousand people on the ancient stone tiers, which is a setting no purpose-built cinema can match. The programme mixes international premieres with retrospectives and award presentations, and a substantial part of it is open to the public rather than reserved for the industry. Tickets for the theatre screenings sell quickly and the town is full for the duration.

The summer performance season — June to September

Beyond the film festival, the ancient theatre carries a season of concerts, opera, ballet and drama through the summer. It is the main reason to be in Taormina in high season despite the crowds, and the programme is announced in the spring.

The feast of the patron saint

Taormina's patron is San Pancrazio, by tradition its first bishop, and the town marks his feast with a procession and celebrations in the streets around the Corso — a local occasion rather than one staged for visitors.

Christmas — December and early January

The old town is lit, nativity scenes are set up in the churches and squares, and the season is quiet, mild and very much cheaper than the summer.