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Rome events in April 2024 - Holidays, exhibits, concerts, and other things to do
Rome events in April include Rome's birthday, Liberation Day, and much more!
One of my favorite April happenings in Rome is on April 21, when Rome's Roseto Rose Garden opens in conjunction with Rome's birthday.Find out all the things to see and do in Rome in April.
Rome events in April 2024 - What's happening
April is a great time to visit Rome for a lot of reasons, like the beautiful cool spring weather, flowers beginning to bloom, lots of new openings, and longer days.
April weather in Rome can still be cool, which makes it comfortable for sight-seeing.
It's also a good time to enjoy some hot Roman lunches and dinners indoors with some good wine.
Check out all these great things to do in Rome in April 2024:
- Holidays in Rome in April
- Current exhibits at Rome's museums
- Sports/sporting events in Rome in April
- Vatican events in April
- Free things to do in Rome in April
- Nighttime things to do in Rome in April
- Concerts and operas in Rome in April
- Tours to take in Rome in April
- Day trips to take in Rome in April
- Things to do with kids in Rome in April
Holidays and special dates in Rome in April
Special dates in April in Rome include Liberation Day, Rome's Birthday, and often, Easter.
But there are also some new openings and other special and interesting things to see and do in Rome in April.
Read on:
April 21 - Rome's Birthday
According to legend, Rome was founded on April 21, 753 BCE.
So on April 21, there is a sort-of holiday, the Natale di Roma, or Rome's birthday.
Nothing is closed.
Rome events in April - On Rome's birthday on April 21, you might see some fanfare like this band playing on Capitoline Hill.Visit the website of the Gruppo Storico Romano for more information, they organize re-enactments and parades on this day.
In 2024, there are a series of events taking place from the evening of Thursday April 20 to Sunday April 23 - the main procession down the Via dei Fori Imperiali is scheduled to start at the Circus Maximus at 11am.
All events are free.
In addition, some of Rome's civic museums will be open with free entry on April 21, 2024, including the archeological area of the Circus Maximus, Capitoline Museums, the Ara Pacis and many more.
There will also be various events, walks and talks to celebrate the day - take a look at the Musei in Comune's website for the full listings of free entry locations and events.
April 25 - Liberation Day
Liberation Day, the Festa della Liberazione, is an important national holiday in Rome and in Italy - it celebrates the end of Nazi occupation during WWII, and the end of Fascist rule in Italy (Benito Mussolini was shot 3 days later).
Being a national holiday, schools, banks and shops are closed.
No tourist sites are closed.
The Vatican is not part of Italy, and therefore is not affected by this holiday at all.
The Associazione Nazionale Partigiani d’Italia (ANPI), which means "Association of National Partisans of Italy", will parade from the Colosseum to Porta San Paolo (where the Pyramid is), starting around 9:30am.
No matter what season you visit Rome, here are 4 essential things we recommend never leaving home without:
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April 21 - Roseto Rose Garden opens
Rome's Roseto Rose Garden is known for being open only in the month of May (and in recent years, also for a few weeks in October.)
But it actually opens every year on April 21, Rome's birthday (and closes around the first week of June.)
I love visiting the Roseto when it first opens in late April.
Many of the roses have yet to bloom, and as people don't really know about it opening in April, it's usually very quiet and empty.
And so beautiful!
Late April/early May - Azaleas on the Spanish Steps
Every spring, around the last week of April through the first week or so of May, you will find the Spanish Steps covered in Azaleas.
I think one of everyone's favorite Rome events in April is when the Spanish Steps get adorned with blooming pink and white azaleas. To get this kind of shot, you'll need to come by about 7 AM!It's a very special time of year to see them this way.
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Current exhibits and events at Rome's museums in April
The cooler spring months are a great time to take in the arts indoors.
Some museums stay open later on the weekends.
There are several Rome events in April at various museums around the city:
Capitoline Museums
VRBS ROMA
For the first time, the golden glass with the personification of the city of Rome, found during excavations for the construction of the Metro C station at Porta Metronia, will be on display.
Through July 1st 2024
Capitoline Museums, Villa Caffarelli
FIDIA
Through May 5, 2024
An exhibition of the works of Phidias, hailed as the greatest Greek sculptor of the classical age.
The exhibition includes around over 100 works from the 5th century BC.
Many have never left Greece until now.
An extraordinary journey through the artist's life and work including archaeological finds, paintings, manuscripts, drawings, plus a multimedia installation.
MAXXI
Jannis Kounellis - Notte
Through April 30, 2024
A tribute to an artist who radically changed the relationship between works and the beholder.
The project focuses on Jannis Kounellis’ research and its profound connection with theatre and performative actions.
Chiostro del Bramante
EMOTION.
Through July 31, 2024.
Contemporary Art Tells The Story of Emotions
For more information and tickets, click here.
Villa Torlonia
In the name of Cambellotti.
Virgilio Retrosi artist and craftsman
In the Villa Torlonia museum this exhibition is dedicated to Virgilio Retrosi (Rome 1892-1975).
A collections from the Museum of Rome with the 14 plates dedicated to the historic districts of Rome.
Runs through June 2, 2024
Discover more details and how to book your tickets, book here.
Scuderie del Quirinale
Napoli Ottocento
A new exhibition dedicated to the paintings that showcase Naples and the surrounding area from the time of the Grand Tour through World War I.
Artists from all over Europe and the United States decided to work in Naples to contemplate and paint the charms of Pompeii, Herculaneum, the sea, the mountains, the islands of Capri, Ischia and Procida, along with the sceneries of the Amalfi and Sorrento coasts.
runs through June 16, 2024
Discover more details and how to book your tickets, click here.
There are a lot of smaller exhibitions in April.
To see a complete list of them, visit this page of the Rome Tourist Board where you can filter to see all Rome events in April, or drill down further by category such as dance, music, etc.
Sport/sporting Rome events in April
Rome Appian Run 2024
This annual event takes place at different points along the Appian Way, with a mix of races to watch - some of which you can still register for!
Find out more here
April 21, 2024
The perfect 3-day itinerary in Rome
Trying to figure out how to organize your visit to Rome? I've got the perfect 3-day itinerary for first-time visitors (or those who have not been here in a while.) It works for a 2.5 day visit as well.
In my 3-day itinerary, you'll see all the major must-see Rome attractions like the Vatican, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Pantheon, Piazza Navona, Spanish Steps, Castel Sant'Angelo, and much more.
And if you have more time, or want suggestions for extra/other things to do, you'll find that there too.
Visit my page with the best 3-day itinerary in Rome for first-timers.
Vatican Events in April
When the Pope is in town, you can attend the Wednesday Papal Audience, or watch the pope give the Angelus in St. Peter's Square on Sunday.
Both are free.
For the Papal Audience, you need tickets.
For the Angelus, you don't.
Visit Rome's Parks and gardens
April is a beautiful time to visit a park or garden in Rome, when flowers are really beginning to bloom all over the place.
Rome events in April - Free things to do
If you're looking for some fun free things to do in April, the below are confirmed for 2024:
On Sunday April 7, 2024, the Colosseum will be free for everyone.
You can expect the Colosseum to be pretty much a mob scene.
I'd highly recommend visiting one of the other sites that is also free on this day, like the Roman Forum/Palatine Hill, or Ostia Antica.
The first Sunday of the month, Rome's Civic Museums are free for everyone.
On Sunday April 7, 2024 you can visit the Capitoline Museums, Ara Pacis, Villa Torlonia, Trajan's Market and many others for free.
For more details and booking, click the link below to visit the official site.
The Vatican Museums are free and open the last Sunday of every month - In April they will be open Sunday, April 28, 2024.
Expect large crowds on this day.
St. Peter's Basilica and St. Peter's Square are free and open daily.
You cannot buy tickets in advance for the Free Sunday, but you can book a tour of the museums through the Vatican.
If you don't want to book this tour, just come early.
By early I mean by 8am.
But otherwise I recommend you book your visit ahead of time and pay to go another day.
Night time things to do in Rome in April
In Rome in April the evenings can be chillier than you might think, but there are some things that open up for night visits and experiences this month.
And while it's still too early in the season for Colosseum night visits, you can still enjoy the city after the sun goes down.
There is one nighttime visit that you can do in April, and that is the Vatican Museums.
From early March, the Vatican Museums stay open until 8 PM on Friday and Saturday nights, and this can be a really wonderful way to enjoy a much quieter and more relaxed way to visit these museums.
Click here to book a small group night tour of the Vatican Museums on a Friday or Saturday night in March.
For more nighttime tours and Rome events in April, visit Viator.
Ready to plan your trip?
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With one handy pass, it's all included.
Rome events in April - Concerts, operas, shows
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Get your Rome Opera Pass to choose from a number of shows inside a scenic and suggestive setting in central Rome (locations vary).
These wonderful opera singers put on a mini-production of various operas, often in full costume.
Visit the extraordinary Capuchin Crypt, then head into the recently restored church to listen to sacred music in a gorgeous setting.
Thursday afternoons.
Don't miss this unique opera + aperitivo on one of Rome's most amazing rooftops, the Borromini Terrace.
Combine beautiful music, with the stunning baroque setting on Piazza Navona, and a special aperitivo, to make for a fabulous evening in Rome.
There's a maximum 30 people (including an art historian guide), to keep this experience exclusive and special.
Friday evenings.
The Three Tenors - Nessun Dorma
See the "Three Tenors" in a beautiful church setting.
You will be treated to three of Rome's most famous tenors singing some of the best-known and loved songs of Neapolitan opera, accompanied by the Mandolin Orchestra.
Music from La Traviata, Rigoletto, Tosca, and many others.
Saturday evenings. From 25€.
Enjoy private access to one of Rome's most exclusive rooftops right on Piazza Navona, while sipping your aperitivo and listening to Italian opera classics from Verdi, Rossini, and Puccini.
Sunday evenings.
For more concerts and music Rome events in April, click here.
Tours to take in Rome in April
Booking a tour is a good way to make sure you get tickets to the sites you want to visit, and also get to enjoy them without fighting the crowds too much.
And even if it's not too crowded, a tour is a great way to see the sights and get to know a bit about them as you go.
For more tours to take in April, start here:
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Day trips to take in Rome in April
April is a wonderful time to take a day trip, especially if you want to try some food/wine ventures outside Rome.
There are lots of options for places to visit which you can easily reach within 1-2 hours of Rome.
For organized day trips, visit Get Your Guide.
Activities with kids in Rome in April
Whether you are visiting Rome in April for spring break or just for a short getaway, if you are coming with kids, there are plenty of tours and activities in Rome geared towards children of all ages.
If you're looking for some fun activities with kids, start here:
I've listed some of what I think are the most fun and interesting Rome events in April, and most central.
For a complete list of Rome events in April, visit the website of the Rome Tourist Board.
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