Festa Italiana Gilching
Three days of Italian lifestyle in Munich's west
About Festa Italiana
Travel to this festival
Reserva tu tren o autobús para llegar a Festa Italiana al mejor precio.
Sponsored link
A Partnership That Became a Tradition
The town twinning between Gilching (Starnberg district, Upper Bavaria) and Cecina (Tuscany) originated in 1989. Just three years later, the Cecina-Gilching Association invited people to the first Festa Italiana — today one of the most enduring intercultural events in Munich's west.
Italian Market with Bavarian Roots
On the market square in Gilching's center, everything transforms into a small piazza for three days: stalls with Tuscan specialties, wine and espresso bars, Italian live music, dancing, and a family program characterize the event. In 2025, the festival featured the unveiling of the renovated partnership sculpture Paci Dictatum 2.0 in the presence of Cecina's mayor, Lia Burgalassi, as a special highlight.
Program Pillars of Every Festa
- Opening on Friday with the First Mayor, dance performances, and Italian live music
- Concerts and Dance Evenings on Saturday with Italian bands
- Sunday Tradition: joint Weißwurst breakfast, organized by the Cecina Association, with brass band and pub music — and thus the typical Upper Bavarian welcome to the Italian guests
- Children's Program throughout all three days: crafts, walk-acts, carousel, target games, lucky dip
Cecina, Tuscany, and Munich's West
The Festa Italiana is also a political statement: it shows how a formal town twinning can lead to a vibrant culture between two communities. Anyone familiar with the Upper Bavarian west of Munich knows: many Italo-Bavarians live here, working in the IT cluster or research around Oberpfaffenhofen — the Festa regularly brings them and all Italy lovers together on the market square.
Festa Italiana — edition 2026
The Festa Italiana Gilching 2026 will take place from Friday, July 10, to Sunday, July 12, 2026, on the Gilching Market Square. The program follows the proven three-day rhythm with an opening on Friday afternoon, a concert and dance evening on Saturday, and a classic Sunday with Weißwurst breakfast and an evening finale.
The Cecina-Gilching Association has already entered the 2026 dates into the Gilching municipality's event calendar. The detailed program will be announced shortly before the festival on cecina-gilching.de, as it was in 2025.
Programme Festa Italiana 2026
Planned Program Outline
- Friday, July 10, 2026 — 4:00 PM to 12:00 AM
- 4:00 PM — Opening of stalls with Italian specialties and international drinks
- 5:00 PM — Official opening by Gilching's First Mayor, followed by dance performances by the Gilching Dance Center
- Evening — Edelweiß Marching Band and Italian live band on the main stage
- Saturday, July 11, 2026 — 12:00 PM to 12:00 AM
- Program around the partnership sculpture Paci Dictatum 2.0
- In the evening, concert with Italian live band, dancing in the market square
- Sunday, July 12, 2026 — 11:00 AM to 10:00 PM
- 11:00 AM — traditional Weißwurst breakfast with brass band and pub music
- Afternoon — Italian hits, children's program
- Evening — closing concert with Italian live band
- Children's Program on all three days: crafts, walk-acts, carousel, target games, lucky dip
Highlights Festa Italiana 2026
- Italian live music on all three evenings
- Tuscan specialties from wine to delicacies
- Bavarian-Italian Weißwurst breakfast on Sunday
- Children's program with carousel, craft stations, and walk-acts
Prices Festa Italiana 2026
Free admission. Food, drinks, and individual family attractions are paid for at the stalls.
Practical information — Festa Italiana
Getting There
Gilching is located on the S-Bahn line S8 (Munich Airport – Herrsching). It's a short walk from the Gilching-Argelsried S-Bahn station to the market square. By car, take the A 96 (exit Oberpfaffenhofen) or the B 471.
Admission
Free admission. Food and drinks are paid for at the stalls at the respective prices indicated.
Tip
If you want to enjoy the Italian atmosphere in peace, come on Saturday afternoon — Sunday is family day, and on Friday evening, it's busiest at the start.
Festival-goer photos
No photos yet. Share yours!
Share your photos
Max. 5 photos, 5 MB per photo (JPG, PNG, WebP)
Spotted an error or missing information?
Help us keep this listing up to date. Each suggestion is reviewed by our team before being published.
Festival-goer reviews
No rating yet — be the first!
No comments yet. Be the first!
Were you there?
Share your experience with the community.
Travel to this festival
Reserva tu tren o autobús para llegar a Festa Italiana al mejor precio.
Sponsored link
Where it takes place Festa Italiana
Marktplatz Gilching
Am Markt / Marktplatz, 82205 Gilching