Festa dei Ceri (Race of the Candles)

The Festa dei Ceri is a celebration in Gubbio that honours Bishop Ubaldo Baldassini, who was canonised as the town's protector. The ceri are carried up to the Basilica of Sant'Ubaldo on Mount Ingino, where Saint Ubaldo's bearers try to shut the doors before the ceri of George and Anthony can get in.

The next edition is expected to start on 15 May 2027, following a fixed-date rule of 15 May. This is an estimate and has not been confirmed by the organiser, so check before planning travel.

The events are held in Gubbio's streets and in Piazza Grande. The programme describes people gathering in those streets and in the square, and it mentions no ticket or entry requirement, although this too is still an estimate.

The festival starts to take shape with a gathering at Porta Castello, where the ceraioli families hand out small bunches of flowers made by the nuns of the Sant'Antonio convent.

The parade is opened by drummers. They are followed by the flags of the districts and the city band, then the mounted captains, a trumpeter and a standard-bearer.

Ubaldo was declared a saint on 5 March 1192, in the first year of Pope Celestine III's pontificate. The canonisation bull urged the people of Gubbio to go on celebrating his feast each year, joyfully.

The organisers' site describes the festival as centuries old. As background, immigrants who settled in Jessup, Pennsylvania, mostly from Gubbio and elsewhere in the Province of Perugia, took the tradition there in 1909.

In the evening the streets of Gubbio turn festive, with any excuse used for a toast and for locals and visitors to get to know each other.

Wear comfortable clothes and trainers, and carry nothing unnecessary.

The people of Gubbio regard the Festa dei Ceri as their own, so visitors are asked not to be intrusive, so that a friendly welcome stays friendly.