What’s on in Palermo right now, hand-picked for visitors. Big festivals, food and wine fairs, concerts and exhibitions across Palermo and its province. Every listing tells you what it is, what it costs and how to book.
💡 Heads-up: some of the ticket and info links below are in Italian only. Don’t let that stop you. Pop the page into Google Translate, ChatGPT or your browser’s built-in translate and you’ll be booking in English in seconds.
⏰ Two things nobody tells you: evening shows in Sicily start late — most open-air concerts begin around 9:00-9:30pm, so plan dinner early or eat after, like the locals. And the Teatro di Verdura you’ll see all over this list is the city’s open-air garden theatre on Viale del Fante, north of the centre: about 15 minutes by taxi.
Don’t-miss festivals
Cous Cous Fest — San Vito Lo Capo
Why go: Ten days of international couscous, tastings and live music on the beach at San Vito Lo Capo. Worth the drive if you're in western Sicily in late September.
This week in Palermo (7 Sep – 13 Sep)
Ciavuri e Sapuri: free food and music festival on Mondello beach
What it is: A free four-day festival of Sicilian food, local producers and live music along the seafront promenade at Mondello, Palermo's postcard beach. Thursday 10 to Sunday 13 September, from 6pm to midnight.
Why go: Free, on the prettiest beach in town, and built entirely around eating: Sicilian street food and small producers, with music once the sun goes down. Show up for golden hour, stay for the cannoli. No ticket, no plan needed.
Palermo Comic Convention: comics, cosplay and international guests
What it is: The 11th Palermo Comic Convention takes over the Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa, a former factory turned arts hub, with comics, film, animation, video games, cosplay and international guests. Exhibit halls 10am to 9pm, stage area to midnight, from 10 to 13 September.
Why go: Comic-con is the same language everywhere: costumes, artists' alley, gaming and panels. If you're travelling with teenagers, or you're just a big kid yourself, it's an easy, mostly-indoor day out that needs zero Italian.
Rooftop sunset visits to the Torre di San Nicolo
What it is: Evening climbs up a medieval watchtower in the Albergheria market district to its panoramic terrace, for one of the best rooftop views over the old town in the golden evening light. Thursday evenings through 24 September (10, 17 and 24 Sep). Booking required.
Why go: Palermo has almost no high points you're allowed to climb, so this is the shot: domes, tiled rooftops and Monte Pellegrino, all going pink at dusk. Five euros. Easily the cheapest great view in the city.
Madame live at Teatro di Verdura
What it is: Madame, one of Italy's biggest young stars, a Sanremo-famous singer and rapper, live on her summer tour in the open-air garden theatre. Starts 9pm.
Why go: Honest verdict: her songs are all in Italian and the sharp wordplay is the whole point, so a non-Italian speaker will miss most of it. Listed so you know a major young Italian name is in town on a Friday night; the garden-theatre setting is lovely either way.
A Night at the Opera: a Verdi gala at Palazzo Steri
What it is: An open-air opera gala of Giuseppe Verdi's greatest hits (the 'Va' pensiero' chorus, and more) played by the Palermo Classica Symphony Orchestra in the courtyard of Palazzo Steri, a stunning medieval palace on Piazza Marina in the old town. One night, Saturday 12 September, starts 9:15pm.
Why go: Verdi is opera even non-opera people already half-know, and hearing it live in a floodlit medieval courtyard is about as Sicilian a night as you can buy. Tickets start at 19 euros and the music does all the talking, so there's no language barrier.
Cavalleria Rusticana: Mascagni's Sicilian opera at Teatro Massimo
What it is: A brand-new Teatro Massimo production of Pietro Mascagni's Cavalleria Rusticana, the one-act opera set in a Sicilian village on Easter morning (from Giovanni Verga's story), conducted by Gaetano D'Espinosa and directed by Marco Gandini. Eight performances between 12 and 20 September (no show on the 14th); evenings start at 8pm, or 6:30pm depending on the date.
Why go: This is the one to catch. Opera in Palermo's grand 19th-century opera house (yes, the staircase from The Godfather Part III), and the story is pure Sicily: love, jealousy and a knife fight in a village square. The music does the heavy lifting, there are surtitles, and tickets start at just 18 euros for a real night at one of Europe's biggest opera houses.
Coez live at Teatro di Verdura
What it is: Coez, one of Italy's most popular singer-songwriters (melodic Italian rap-pop), on his 'From The Rooftop' tour in the open-air garden theatre. Two nights, Sat 12 and Sun 13 September, starting 9pm.
Why go: Honest verdict: it's melodic Italian pop, so without the language the lyrics that carry it pass you by. Here so you know a big Italian name is playing across the weekend; go for the warm open-air garden vibe rather than to follow the words. Heads-up: Saturday 12 is sold out, but Sunday 13 still has tickets from 46 euros.
Impressionist Treasures: Monet and Normandy
What it is: A blockbuster exhibition of Monet and the French Impressionists inside Palermo's Norman royal palace. Open Mon-Sat 8:30am-4:30pm (last entry), Sun and holidays to 12:30pm.
Why go: World-class Impressionist paintings in a UNESCO palace: the biggest art show in town, and it's air-conditioned when the streets hit 100F.
Warhol, Rotella and Arman: 80 Pop Art works
What it is: Eighty works by Andy Warhol, Mimmo Rotella and Arman inside the vast 18th-century Albergo dei Poveri, one of Palermo's grandest buildings (10 min by taxi from the centre).
Why go: Real Warhols in a jaw-dropping royal poorhouse most tourists never step inside: two sights in one, and it runs right through your trip.
Romanian Avant-Garde 1907-1947 at Villa Zito
What it is: A museum-grade show of early 20th-century Romanian avant-garde art in Villa Zito, an elegant Art Nouveau villa museum on Via Liberta, the city's grand shopping avenue.
Why go: A serious, quiet art show in an air-conditioned villa: culture plus a break from the heat, with the best shopping street outside the door.
Sicilian puppet theatre (Opera dei Pupi), daily shows
What it is: Daily performances of Sicilian puppet theatre (Opera dei Pupi) at the Antonio Pasqualino puppet museum in the old town: hand-carved armoured knights fighting out chivalric duels, a folk art UNESCO lists as intangible cultural heritage. Runs every day through 30 September.
Why go: The most authentically Sicilian hour you can spend indoors: it's all swordfights and spectacle, so the Italian barely matters, and kids love it. A genuine tradition, not a tourist gimmick.
Summer music & aperitivo nights at Villa Filippina
What it is: A summer-long series of relaxed live concerts and aperitivo in a green city garden. Concerts start at 7pm; open-air cinema screenings at 9pm.
Why go: Cheap, laid-back live music in a garden as the sun goes down: the easy after-dinner move that isn't a tourist trap.
Guided visits to the Porta d'Ossuna catacombs
What it is: Guided tours of an early-Christian underground burial site most tourists never see. Summer slots from 20 July: Wed & Fri mornings (10am-12pm), Thu & Sat afternoons (3-5pm), Sunday evenings (4-7pm).
Why go: An off-the-radar catacomb you can only enter on these guided slots: creepy, cool underground, and refreshingly crowd-free.
Fernando Botero: The Weight of Dreams
What it is: Twelve works by Fernando Botero, the Colombian master of round, oversized figures, at Palazzo Riso, Palermo's contemporary-art museum a short walk from the cathedral on Corso Vittorio Emanuele. Open Tue to Sat 9am-6:30pm, Sun and holidays 9am-1pm. Runs through 31 October.
Why go: One of the most instantly recognisable artists on earth, indoors and air-conditioned, right in the old town: no Italian needed, and it runs the whole length of your trip.
Coming up (next 3 weeks)
Last updated 11 Sep 2026. Prices and details can change, so always check the official link before you go.
I’ll be in Palermo nights of August 19, 20 & 21. I’d like to go to a cultural event every evening. What would you suggest?