Florence welcomes a vibrant month of September, where centuries-old traditions meet a busy calendar of contemporary festivals, cultural events and citywide celebrations.
Traditions
Light a lantern and take part in the Florentine Rificolona festival on September 7 when families head to piazza della Santissima Annunziata and other locations to celebrate the birth of the Virgin Mary. The tradition dates to the 16th century when farmers used lanterns to light their long walk into the city the night before the feast day. Not only were the contadini coming into Florence to pray, but also to sell products after the summer harvest.
Follow the crazy cart (Carro Matto) through Florence on the fourth Saturday in September to salute the arrival of the first bottles of the new vintage. Starting in the Tuscan town of Rufina, white oxen pull a wagon laden with about 2,000 flasks of wine to the Palazzo Vecchio in a parade in historical costumes and performance by the city’s flag-throwers.
Festivals
The Firenze Jazz Festival returns for its tenth edition from September 5 to 13, bringing a dynamic program of jazz, electronic, world music, reggae, hip hop and experimental sounds to Florence’s Oltrarno district and metropolitan area. Featuring new venues, special productions and an outstanding lineup, the festival will welcome artists including Alborosie & Shengen Clan, DJ Gruff, Casino Royale, C’mon Tigre, Teho Teardo & Blixa Bargeld, Pellegrino, Altea and Meraz. Earlybird tickets are now available, with full details online at www.firenzejazzfestival.it.
Decibel Open Air takes place from September 4 to 6, bringing three days of electronic music, international DJs and large-scale live performances. Set in an outdoor festival format in the Cascine, it is one of Italy’s leading events dedicated to techno and club culture, attracting a young international audience to a program that spans cutting-edge sounds, immersive stage design and high-energy sets from some of the most influential names in the global electronic scene.
The 67th Festival dei Popoli will celebrate the 50th anniversary of punk with a special tribute to filmmaker Lech Kowalski, guest in Florence from October 31 to November 8. Within the festival’s Let the Music Play section dedicated to music documentaries, Kowalski will present a programme featuring his landmark works D.O.A. – A Rite of Passage, Born to Lose – The Last Rock’n’Roll Movie, Hey Is Dee Dee Home? and East of Paradise as well as a public masterclass.
Culture
The 32nd Artigianato e Palazzo, held from September 11 to 13 in the Corsini Gardens, is shaped by a reflection on the need to reconnect with nature as a source of creative, artisanal, and design processes. The exhibition brings together 100 artisans and young designers who explore the transformation of natural elements—earth, water and matter—as the foundation of their work. This year’s main site-specific installation, Linfa. La filosofia dello stupore by Jonathan Bocca, turns the garden into an immersive experience inspired by wonder as a tool for discovery, blending historic spaces with contemporary design in a living, organic narrative. Additional installations include Bosco Sonoro by Michel Vecchi, a sensory land art project featuring wooden sculptures made from fallen trees accompanied by an intimate sound experience.
The 34th Florence International Antiques Biennale (BIAF) will take place from September 26 to October 4 at Palazzo Corsini, reaffirming its position as one of the world’s oldest art fair dedicated to Italian art. BIAF 2026 embraces a renewed vision that celebrates authenticity, craftsmanship and cultural heritage in a digital world. Alongside approximately 80 leading international galleries, the Biennale will feature an expanded cultural program developed in collaboration with major Florentine institutions, including Fondazione CR Firenze, Casa Buonarroti, the Opificio delle Pietre Dure and Fondazione Palazzo Strozzi. Highlights include the public display and restoration of Michelangelo’s Project for the Façade of San Lorenzo, special museum initiatives, the relaunch of the Lorenzo d’Oro Prize and a series of events designed to strengthen the dialogue between art, restoration, collecting, design and contemporary culture.
Charity
The charity run and walk Corri La Vita returns on September 27, celebrating its 24th edition as one of Italy’s most important events combining sport, culture and solidarity in support of the fight against breast cancer. The initiative raises funds for prevention, early diagnosis, psycho-oncology, rehabilitation and research projects dedicated to improving women’s quality of life. The race and walk will follow an expanded route from the Cascine Park to piazza della Signoria, bringing together tens of thousands of participants dressed in the event’s signature cyclamen-pink T-shirt, designed once again by Ferragamo. Participants will also gain free access to a number of museums, exhibitions and cultural sites, including several special openings for 2026. The program is complemented by the Health Village in piazza della Repubblica, offering free consultations, wellness activities, mammography services, melanoma screenings and educational initiatives focused on healthy living. The celebrations will continue on October 1 with A Coffee for Corri La Vita, a city-wide fundraising initiative involving cafés across Florence in support of breast cancer awareness and prevention.
The Italian Chef Charity Night celebrates its tenth anniversary on September 9, returning to the rooftop of The Social Hub Belfiore in Florence. The evening will bring together 16 renowned chefs from across Tuscany, alongside pastry chefs, pizza makers and gelato artisans, offering tastings in support of the UN Refugee Agency (UNHCR). This year’s fundraising will help provide therapeutic food supplies for refugee populations worldwide, with refugee chefs also participating by preparing a symbolic dish of rice and chicken, the standard meal served in detention centres. With a 40 euro donation, guests can sample multiple dishes paired with wines and local products.
