Name: Caracalla Festival 2025
Start: 2024-06-03T00:00:00+0000
End: 2025-08-07T00:00:00+0000
Location: Baths of Caracalla

Opera, dance, cinema, theater and music under the Stars at the Baths of Caracalla

There’s no better way to spend a balmy summer night in Rome than enjoying an opera, ballet or concert at the Baths of Caracalla. A cultural hub and vibrant social spot back in Ancient Rome, the Baths were the equivalent of a community day spa, where Romans would go to bathe and socialize. It was a place to entertain and to be entertained. Fast-forward thousands of years later, and the ruins have become an open-air, improvised stage that welcomes thousands of locals and tourists every summer.

Opera, dance, cinema, theatre, great symphonic music, jazz and pop. The Rome Opera House‘s summer program has been transformed into a festival: the Caracalla Festival 2025.

“Between the Sacred and the Human” will be the title of the 2025 edition of the festival, which will feature ballet, opera, musicals, sacred music concerts, and pop performances.

In ancient times, the Baths were a place for relaxation and social life. From June to August 2025, they will once again come to life — not only as an archaeological site, but also as an extraordinary venue for cultural events. The festival will take place at the 4,500-seat Arena, also known as the Teatro Grande, located near the ancient Baths of Caracalla, and for the first time, it will be joined by the Basilica of Maxentius as an additional venue.

This year, the Festival once again pays tribute to Italy’s great operatic tradition with La Traviata (staged on July 19, 23, and 27, and August 1, 2, and 3), reimagined through the female gaze of director Sláva Daubnerová, and Mozart’s Don Giovanni (July 20, 22, 24, and 25), directed by Vasily Barkhatov, making his Rome debut.

Plenty of space is also dedicated to leading names in Italian music, pop and beyond, with a series of concerts lighting up the June evenings:
Fiorella Mannoia (June 3 & 4), Riccardo Cocciante (June 6 & 8), Alessandra Amoroso (June 11), Giorgia (June 13 & 14), Antonello Venditti (June 17 & 19), and Giovanni Allevi (June 20).

Among the Roman ruins, a beloved musical classic will be celebrated on July 23: West Side Story, directed by Damiano Michieletto, featuring an international cast that blends American artists with some of the best talents from the Italian musical theatre scene.

Ballet will also take center stage, with two performances (July 30 & 31) by the dancers of Rome’s Opera Ballet Company, led by Eleonora Abbagnato, presenting Stravinsky’s Le Sacre du Printemps in the iconic 1975 choreography by Pina Bausch.

And as part of a now long-standing tradition, Roberto Bolle returns to the stage with his celebrated show Roberto Bolle & Friends, scheduled for July 15 & 16.

CLICK HERE TO BUY TICKETS TO CARACALLA FESTIVAL

INSPIRATION
Rome’s Music Summer Festivals