Christmas in Umbria
At Christmas there are concerts of sacred and choral music in many of the towns and villages in the area. Crèches are in all the churches, and there are also enactments of the nativity. In Gubbio, the lights on the hillside spell out ‘the Biggest Christmas Tree in the World.’

Assisi - Calendimaggio
This takes place for three days in the second week in May. The origin of today’s festival dates back to 1927 when singers from the various churches in the city came together to sing songs based on ancient melodies. The city divides into the Upper and Lower parts which compete for the prize of a banner. Success depends on the quality of the singers, the costumes, and success in depicting scenes from the Middle Ages.

Spello- L'Inforata
On the day of Corpus Domini the main streets in Spello are covered by wonderful floral displays. The designs depict various religious scenes, sometimes invented, sometimes copied from famous paintings. The ceremony is linked to the ancient custom of throwing flowers in honor of the statues in religious processions.

Bevagna - Mercato delle Gaite
It takes place in the second week in June, and takes its origin from the ancient political division of the town into four ‘gaite’ or areas. The most important moment of the event is the recreation of the medieval market in the last few days of the festival.

Gubbio - Corsa dei Ceri
This takes place on 15th May. Possibly, dating back to pagan times, it happens on the anniversary of the death of the Saint patron of Gubbio, Sant Ubaldo. The ceri are three enormous wooden pillars, each weighing some four hundred kilos, each one having on the top the statue of a saint – Ubaldo, Giorgio, and Antonio. These are carried by three teams from the lower town up the hill to the church of Sant Ubaldo, on the top of Monte Ingino.

Spoleto - Festival dei Due Mondi
It takes place each year in the first two weeks of July. It was initiated in 1958 by Giancarlo Menotti. The festival is a very important international cultural event. Essentially, it is a very high quality musical event, including ballet, opera, chamber concerts, orchestral performances, prose and poetry readings, but there are also exhibitions, drama, and film.

Perugia - Umbria Jazz
It takes place each year in early July, in Perugia. Started in 1973, it is now one of the most important jazz festivals in Europe, and attracts artists from all over the world.

Foligno - Giostra della Quintana
It takes place in the months of June and September. The festival has its origins in an ancient equestrian competition of the 17th century, in which riders competed to display their loyalty to the Prince or his Lady. In today’s ceremony, ten riders, each representing one district in the town, compete with each other to insert the point of a lance in various rings. The festival is proceeded by a procession in traditional costumes.