Epiphany and Befana 2027

Epiphany 2027 falls on Wednesday 6 January. It is a national holiday: schools, offices, banks and almost all shops are closed, and state museums and transport follow holiday timetables. In most regions lessons resume on Thursday 7 January 2027, but school calendars are set by region and should be checked: those who want to extend their holiday can take Monday 4 and Tuesday 5 and be back at the office on the 7th.

This page was checked on 12 November 2026. Already published on the official sites are the National Befana Festival in Urbania (5-6 January 2027, thirtieth edition), the Piazza Navona market in Rome (1 December 2026 to 6 January 2027), the Nott de Bisò in Faenza (Tuesday 5 January 2027) and the Fiera dell'Epifania in Bologna (2-6 January 2027). For the other events I give the 2026 edition as a reference: they are events that repeat every year, but the times may change.

What is being celebrated

The name comes from the Greek epifáneia, "manifestation": in the Christian tradition it commemorates the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus. In Italian popular culture the festival has taken the shape of the Befana, an old woman who flies on a broomstick and brings sweets to children who have behaved well and coal to those who have not (today almost always black sugar). The name Befana is a corruption of "Epifania". According to the legend, the old woman refused to join the Magi on their journey to Bethlehem and then, repentant, set out to look for the child, bringing gifts to everyone.

In Rome the city council notes that the figure may go back to the Roman celebrations of the winter solstice and that the Befana gave sweets and toys to children long before Father Christmas entered Italian homes. The stocking hung at the fireplace remains the symbol: sweets, mandarins, torrone, chocolate.

The dates to note

Rome: Piazza Navona

The Festa di Piazza Navona is Rome's historic market: the city council describes it as a tradition of over two hundred years, born in Piazza Sant'Eustachio and moved to Piazza Navona after the Unification of Italy. In the 2025-26 edition the square was open every day from 09:00 to 01:00 (until 02:00 on holidays and the days before them) and the programme included craft stalls, nativity scenes, wooden toys, evening music, readings and workshops by the Biblioteche di Roma.

On 6 January the Befana arrives in the square to hand out sweets to children: in 2026 the time was 14:00, while for 2027 the time has not yet been published on the Turismo Roma portal. Entry to the square is free; you pay for purchases and rides. On 6 January the historic procession "Viva la Befana" also parades along via della Conciliazione, towards St Peter's: the 2026 edition was the 39th, with free participation open to everyone; the 2027 programme has not yet been published on the site vivalabefana.com. On 6 January there is also the Epiphany Mass in St Peter's (in 2026 at 09:30, with the closing of the Holy Door of the Jubilee): for 2027 the Vatican times are not yet out. See also Rome and Christmas in the big cities.

Urbania: the National Befana Festival

Urbania, in the Marche hinterland, has proclaimed itself the "City of the Befana" and every year devotes the National Befana Festival to the old woman. The official site announces for 2027 the thirtieth edition, on 5 and 6 January, with "many new features". The 2026 edition ran from 4 to 6 January, with an early opening of the Casa della Befana on the 3rd. The 2027 programme is not out yet: the details below are those of 2026.

What is usually on (data from the 2026 programme):

• the Casa della Befana, open from 10:00 to 12:00 and from 15:00 to 18:30, with the post office where children write and send their letter;
• the descent of the Befana from the bell tower at 16:00 and 18:30, with video mapping and a shower of sweets;
• the record stocking parade, over 70 metres long, along corso Vittorio Emanuele II;
• a children's village in Piazza Cavour, with workshops and artificial snow;
• visits to Palazzo Ducale, the Musei Civici, the Chiesa dei Morti with the Museo delle Mummie and the Museo Leonardi;
• on 6 January at 13:00 the philatelic postmark with Poste Italiane.

Entry to the historic centre is charged: 8 euros for adults, 5 euros for groups, free for children up to 10 and for residents; tickets are bought online at liveticket.it/festadellabefana, the circuit indicated by the site. A shuttle runs from the car parks; the site gives no times or rail connections, so for details and to book the guided visits (at 10:30 and 11:30) call the tourist office on 0722 313140 or write to turismo@comuneurbania.it. The site is festadellabefana.com. See also Marche.

Venice: the Regata delle Befane

On 6 January the Regata delle Befane is rowed on the Grand Canal, organised by the Reale Società Canottieri Bucintoro 1882. It began in 1978 from a challenge between two members, Nino Bianchetto and Enzo Rinaldo, at a club Christmas dinner; the rules, the club's history says, were written on a napkin. Five rowers dressed as Befanas row a mascareta, the Venetian racing boat rowed by a single person, from Palazzo Dolfin Manin (home of the Banca d'Italia) to a buoy off Sant'Angelo and back, finishing under the Rialto Bridge, where a giant stocking hangs.

In 2026 the water procession from the Magazzini del Sale was at 10:00, the race start at 11:00 and the win went to Riccardo Romanelli in the blue boat ahead of Andrea Ciccarello, Sandro Inchiostro, Francesco Guerra and Federico Bianchini. For 2027 the Bucintoro has already run the heats on 24 October 2026 (best time Giovanni Croff, 8 minutes and 1 second, ahead of Romanelli, who has won the last four editions); the date and times of the regatta are not yet published: follow the Bucintoro site and that of Venezia Unica. It can be seen well from the banks near Rialto; arrive an hour early. See Venice.

Florence, Milan, Faenza and Bologna

Florence. According to the Opera del Duomo the Cavalcata dei Magi leaves on 6 January at 14:00 from Piazza Pitti and arrives around 15:30 in Piazza Duomo, where the Magi leave their gifts in front of the living nativity scene: about 700 participants in costume, with the Magi on horseback in costumes inspired by Benozzo Gozzoli's frescoes. The tradition goes back to the fifteenth century, to the days of the Compagnia dei Magi. The 2027 programme has not yet been published. See Florence.

Milan. The 2026 historic procession of the Three Kings gathered in Piazza Duomo at 10:45, set off at 11:00 and reached Piazza Sant'Eustorgio around 12:30, passing via Torino, the Colonne di San Lorenzo (stop at 12:00) and corso di Porta Ticinese. The basilica of Sant'Eustorgio holds the relics of the Magi, displayed at Mass on 5 January. More than a hundred participants in costume; the modern tradition dates from 1960. See Milan.

Faenza. The Nott de Bisò, on the evening of 5 January, is the last act of the Niballo-Palio: an effigy of Hannibal (the Niballo) arrives on a cart drawn by oxen in Piazza del Popolo and at midnight burns in a bonfire lit by the district that won the June palio. People drink bisò, mulled wine served in goblets decorated differently every year. Free entry; information on 0546 691651. See Faenza.

Bologna. The Fiera dell'Epifania, between via Indipendenza, via Rizzoli and via Ugo Bassi from 2 to 6 January 2027, is the market of sweet and toy stalls for the Befana. In 2026 at Maggi, a hamlet of Sant'Agata Bolognese (less than 30 km away), the Befana del Maggi was burned on 5 January, a pole of about thirty metres set alight with fireworks, by free donation, with a shuttle from via Lamborghini.

End of the holidays and the sales

Schools close at the end of December and almost everywhere the return is on Thursday 7 January 2027; some regions and provinces have different dates, so check your own region's calendar. The regions have not yet published the dates of the 2027 winter sales, and each region can set its own. In 2026 the sales began on 3 January almost everywhere; in Valle d'Aosta on 2 January, while in Trentino each shopkeeper chooses when to start, for 60 days. The typical duration is about 60 days; in Sicily in 2026 they ended on 15 March.

For trains: on 6 January traffic is that of a holiday and the return is concentrated on the evening of the 6th and the morning of the 7th; book Frecce high-speed trains well ahead, especially on South-North lines. In Naples in 2026 metro Line 1 extended service until 02:00 on 5 and 6 January.

1. Piazza Navona, Rome: Festa di Piazza Navona, Befana on 6 January
2. Via della Conciliazione, Rome: Viva la Befana procession, 6 January
3. St Peter's Basilica, Vatican City: Epiphany Mass
4. Urbania, historic centre: National Befana Festival, 5-6 January
5. Rialto Bridge, Venice: Finish of the Regata delle Befane
6. Piazza Pitti, Florence: Start of the Cavalcata dei Magi
7. Piazza Duomo, Milan: Start of the Magi procession
8. Basilica of Sant'Eustorgio, Milan: End of the procession
9. Piazza del Popolo, Faenza: Nott de Bisò, 5 January
10. Piazza Maggiore, Bologna: Central point for reaching the Fiera dell'Epifania