Great Wines, Truffle, Flowers and Frecce Tricolore: here are the most beautiful Festivals on Lake Garda
Events and Festivals of Lake Garda are a great way to discover the culture and enogastronomic specialties of the towns surrounding Italy’s biggest lake.
All the main touristic destinations of Lake Garda offer calendars rich in events, both in winter and in summer, often related to the celebration of their patron saint.
Chances to have fun and allow oneself to be mesmerised by local products don’t miss every season. Another element that never misses are the fireworks shows, casted into the night sky as the closing event of many festivals, as well as new year’s eve and August 15th.
Around Christmas the towns of Lake Garda compete in making the best and most extravagant nativity scenes, accompanied by fairy-tale like Christmas markets.
Let’s thus go discover the main festivals and events of Lake Garda.
The Tignale Truffle Festival
On the western side of Lake Garda one of main events you can’t miss is the Truffle festival of Tignale, celebrated between the end of September and the beginning of October and is now at its twenty-fourth edition (24-25 September and 1-2 October).
During the festival’s duration restaurants in the town propose truffle-based menus, and visitors can participate in tastings as well as guided and educational visits to learn how to hunt for truffles.
There is also the chance to taste and purchase local specialties directly from their manufacturers thanks to various stands set up for this occasion.
Profumi di Mosto and The historical San Rocco Festival
In autumn there is also the Profumi di Mosto (Perfumes of Must), an enogastronomic event promoted by the wine producers of the Valtènesi to celebrate the grape harvest period for the denomination of the Riviera del Garda Classic DOC wines.
On the 15th of August the town of Soiano proposes the historical San Rocco festival, where you can taste polenta, porchetta, and other typical products in the splendid frame of the medieval castle that dominates the town’s historical town centre.
The best events around Salò
Set in a splendid gulf on the western coast of Lake Garda, the town of Salò is the epicentre of various events, festivals, and annual celebrations.
After the extraordinary success of previuos editions, the botanical exhibition "I Giardini del Garda", an exposition dedications to flowers, will be held between 27th of April and 1st of May 2023 (today It is one of the most important botanical exhibitions of Lake Garda).
This summer 2023 the Gulf of Salò will be the setting for the new musical evenings entitled "Music Evenings" every first Thursday of each month. These new important summer events will take place on the dates: 4th of May 1st of June, 6th of July, 3rd of August (in all the dates, at 11 pm there will also be a short fireworks display)
Moreover, on Saturday 16th September it will be held "Salò Buskers Festival", the second festival of street artists.
Another annual event to participate in is the Frecce Tricolori and their Air Show del Garda, that in 2018 took place on the splendid stage of the Rocca of Manerba, and every year is one of the most anticipated events of the territory.
This year, however, the Frecce Tricolori event will take place on September 09th, 2023 with general rehearsals and September 10th with the show in the skies of Desenzano del Garda. The aerobatic team will perform in its usual splendor over the waters in front of Desenzano and we will follow the event from the Lake by organizing a dedicated Boat Trip. Hurry up, places are limited.
Festa dell’Uva e del Vino di Bardolino
One of the main festivals celebrated on the Veronese side of the lake is the Festa dell’Uva e del Vino di Bardolino (Festival of grapes and of Bardolino wine), celebrated between 28th September to 2nd October 2023.
In order to taste the excellent local red wine German tourists crowd our stands in this important event of Lake Garda, so much that in recent times the event has earned the nickname of “Trauben Kurz”.
The emblem of this festival is the imposing giant barrel 6 metres tall and 4 metres wide placed in Catullo Square.
Other festivals and celebrations between Lazise and Verona
The renowned thermal centre of Lazise del Garda has been proposing the “I giorni del miele” (the honey days) festival for over 30 years, and every first weekend of October gathers the best honeys of Italy and attracts visitors from all over Europe.
In Colà, a hamlet of Lazise, there is the Antica Sagra della Madonna della Neve (the Antique Festival of the Virgin Mary in the Snow). A little more North, in Cisano, every September is the traditional Sagra dei Osei (Festival of Birds) promoted by the association with the same name, where restaurants propose renowned local dishes.
In the month of October, in the fascinating alleys of Verona’s historical town centre is the Hostaria, the festival of wine and grapes. It is a 3km long path that winds between squares, bridges, and streets, where the best caveaus of the province of Verona propose the tasting of precious wines of Valpolicella, Bardolino, Lugana, Soave, and Custoza.
Garda con Gusto
Riva del Garda in the province of Trento is the headquarters of Garda con Gusto (Garda with Taste), an enogastronomic event you cannot miss. The protagonist of this event is the Carne Salada, accompanied by other local products like the extra virgin olive oil, the lake fish, beers, and wines.
It is a space dedicated to chefs where they can propose their experiments and re-interpretations of typical local dishes and products.
In order to always be up to date on the festivals of Lake Garda and its surroundings you can consult the website of the town of interest or the touristic offices in various places around the lake.
Sometimes events are postponed in case of bad weather so it’s always best to make sure you have the event’s date checked.
Credits: images taken from Gardapost.it, Vallesabbianews.it and Visitverona.net