Palermo, ITALY – The city of Palermo on the island of Sicily, Italy is known for its vibrant culture and authentic nightlife, but the city turned it up a notch this week as it celebrated its annual Festival of Santa Rosalía.
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As a Youth Journalism International alum from Aberdeen, Scotland, I’ve outgrown my time as a student, but YJI prides itself on spotlighting incredible cultural events from across the world. I just so happened to have been lucky enough to experience the most incredible Italian evening, so I hope you can all make an exception for me so I can share it with you.
Also simply known as Festino, the Festival of Santa Rosalía celebrates Saint Rosalía, the patron saint of Palermo. She is the city’s saint as she is said to have saved Palermo from a terrible plague all the way back in 1624, making the 2025 event the 401st Festino to be celebrated.
The festival takes place over five days, from the 10th to the 15th of July. If you happen to stumble into Palermo during this week unaware, you would definitely figure out what’s happening as banners with depictions of Santa Rosalía are hung on nearly every balcony in sight.
The biggest night is undoubtedly the 14th, when a procession carrying a giant statue of Santa Rosalía makes its way through the narrow city streets over the course of several hours. It ends by the water with a massive fireworks show and celebrations across the whole city.
Artistic performances, music and cultural events dedicated to the saint are everywhere. Her signature color is pink, reflected in the lights and banners and a stylized “R” featured across the festival. It is custom to wear a ribbon of roses in your hair.
The festival ends on the 15th with a more solemn procession of the remains of Santa Rosalía and a public prayer. It is a beautiful way to close the event and commemorates the reason behind the celebration, but I recommend attending the 14th for all of the joy that Palermo so proudly displays.
I went to the beginning of the procession next to the Cathedral of Palermo, where an ominous depiction of the plague was projected onto buildings, promising to devastate the city.
The intense heat of the day carried on into the night, though this did not deter the crowds. I did learn to bring a small fan next time, however, as the locals smugly flaunted them.
The crowded streets then packed even tighter to the sides as the procession began. Led by acrobats – including one dressed as Santa Rosalía herself – the performers made their way down the city streets, passionately proclaiming “Ciao!” and waving to everyone they could see.
People watched from every alley, balcony and rooftop.
The main event followed. The two-story statue of Santa Rosalía on her chariot with arm outstretched and surrounded on all sides by Palermitanos and awestruck tourists such as myself.
When she reached the waterfront a few hours after beginning the procession, a firework display ensued and lasted for over an hour. I have not seen such a zealous show of fireworks since experiencing 4th of July in the United States. It’s tangible how equally passionate the people of Palermo are about their saint
If you can make your way to Sicily at any point, make sure it’s during this week in July. You’ll be in for an unforgettable time, that is equally entertaining and surprisingly emotional.
So that’s me signing off for now. I hope you all enjoy the photos and videos as well. While you’re here, check out the stories that will be coming out of the Youth Journalism International Global Conference in Cape Town. It seems for every year I get older, the current YJI students get more talented.
With love, Owen.
Owen Ferguson is an Associate Editor with Youth Journalism International from Scotland. He wrote this article and made the video and all photos except the one of him.
