For the past two days the city of Turin celebrated Saint John, with local events, parades and special deals on museum entry as well as other presentations.

Saint John’s Eve

The celebration of the Saint John is a big deal in Turin, as it is in other cities in Italy as well as other countries. Actually called the celebration of Saint John’s Eve, it starts on the 23rd of June at sunset and continues for two days in Italy. Marking the birth of John the Baptist, who ostensibly was born six months prior to Jesus, it is one of only a few feast days that mark births, rather than deaths.

A list of activities that were scheduled in Turin include the following:

Tuesday 23 June 2026

• • There was an opening parade with majorettes, municipal band and historical characters that went from Piazza Palazzo di Città to Piazza Castello.
  • At Palazzo Madama there was the ringing of the civic bell, a ceremony that dates back to 1670.
  • They also had a traditional historical procession from Giardini Cavour to Piazza Castello with period costumes, for which we had front row seats.

• • At the Turin Cathedral, they used the bell tower for a vigil bell concert using cord techniques.
  • There was an award ceremony for the winning thesis about Turin at City Hall.
  • Later on in the evening at Piazza Castello, the ceremonies for the day ended with displays of ceremonial salutes by the Pietro Micca Historical Group, musical moments, and finally the lighting of the evening bonfire in the presence of civic authorities.

Wednesday 24 June 2026

• • The following day there was a vintage car parade from Piazza Vittorio Veneto to the Cathedral.
  • During the day there were several bell concerts across the city and museums open with reduced admission prices.
  • A solemn mass was held at Turin’s Cathedral, with the traditional distribution of charity bread to those in attendance.
  • The celebration continued after lunch with a rowing regatta from Castello del Valentino, along with the submarine Provana and the Maritime Museum was opened for public viewing and enjoyment (this is often closed).
  • In the evening there were several parades and concerts, including a symphony concert at the Rai Auditorium.
  • The city sponsored a torchlight procession on the river from Castello del Valentino to Ponte Vittorio Emanuele I in the late evening.
  • Finally, a fireworks display with an original soundtrack playing was held at Piazza Vittorio Veneto before midnight, to close the ceremonies.

All in all, I cannot remember the feast being celebrated here before, but with our constant travels it would be no surprise. In either case, we enjoyed what we saw of the celebrations and would commend anyone, if they are in the city at the time of the celebration to visit some of the venues, especially the parades with period costumes. We found them quite interesting and beautiful.