Ragusa Events

Nozio has prepared a selection of the most interesting events that take place in Ragusa for you. If you are planning a trip to this city at the same time as one of these events, we recommend you book well in advance.

Festival of San Giovanni – June 24th to August 29th

To celebrate the city’s patron saint, the tradition was once that of eating fresh broad beans, the symbol of pardoned sins, and of lighting bonfires (San Giovanni fires) to dance around on the eve of the festival. Nowadays, June 24th is used to celebrate the birth of the Saint with a mass and the exhibiting of his remains, while instead there is a procession of his followers on August 29th, the day of his martyrdom, who dress up to represent the various phases of the saint’s life. The procession ends with a cart that carries the papier-mache statues of the twelve disciples.

Ibla Buskers. Street artists’ festival – October

Since 1994, Ragusa Ibla’s streets and squares have been invaded by street artists from all over the world every October for a week: jugglers, acrobats, clowns and others all perform in exciting shows.

Festival of San Giorgio – last Sunday in May

Suspended between truth and legend, the story of San Giorgio is one of the most imaginative and incredible of all Christian tradition. The Saint defeated a dragon and carried out several miracles. Each year Ragusa Ibla celebrates its patron saint (in Ragusa the patron saint is San Giovanni Battista). On the last Sunday in May, the faithful take bread to the Church of San Giorgio. At the end of the festival the bread is delivered to the farmers and the workers in the fields, as a good wish for the harvest. The statue and the silver box containing the saint’s remains are then carried across the town in a procession.