How do you celebrate spring at the foot of the mighty Etna volcano? With a parade showcasing thousands of splendid flowers used as street decorations, balcony decorations, garden displays, and… carnival floats! We invite you to visit the three-day Festival of Flowers in Acireale, district of Catania. It takes place every year around May 1st and, particularly this year, it will run from April 30th to May 3rd. Acireale, home of Sicily’s oldest and most famous Mardi Gras, offers a colorful replica of the February feast during these spring days, but… with floats full of flowers! If you come and visit the festival, land at Catania Airport (CTA), take one of our chauffeured vehicles and, in less than 40 minutes, you’ll be at your destination.
Flowers and Tradition
The “flower cars” of Acireale have existed for a very long time, but in the past they were an integral part of the February Mardi Gras. The first in history were noble carriages that, in the late 19th century, would ride out covered in flowers and distribute candies to children in the streets. With the new century, the carriages became motorized cars, and floral decorations were mounted on the roofs and hoods.
Between the 1950s and 1980s, the flower cars carried actual masks or comical scenes on their roofs, created with intertwined plants and flowers. The final evolution occurred in the 1990s with the creation of enormous floats, each one made with 15,000 to 20,000 flowers per float that form computer-controlled masks!
Since the 2000s, flower-decorated floats have had their own parade, held in spring so to prevent the February frost from ruining the work of the master florists. Thus the Festival of Flowers was born, which we highly recommend you see!
Program of the Festival
From April 30th to May 3rd, flowers will be the undisputed protagonists in Acireale. You will find them everywhere, along the charming streets of this baroque town, and they will be the driving force behind the events taking place during those days. This is the festival of flower-decorated floats, works of great craftsmanship you can admire along with other initiatives. Here is the dedicated program.
The festival opens on the evening of April 30th and explodes into life starting already May 1st with the mega-musical concert that will enliven the 18th-century Cathedral square from noon to midnight. On May 2nd and 3rd, the flower-decorated float parades will alternate with performances by cheer-leaders, flag-wavers, folk groups, street artists, magic shows, and the Sicilian Puppets Theatre.
Acireale among flowers…
The Festival of Flowers is the perfect opportunity to explore this elegant city. Acireale has a long history dating back to the times of the ancient Greeks, but its current shape derives from a medieval settlement that developed—over the centuries—thanks in part to Baroque architecture, used in the reconstruction after the devastating earthquake of 1693.
The three churches in the historic area are the most beautiful gems of the tour! The Cathedral of the Announciation (16th century), which, in an original way, shows its side to the main square and instead has its Baroque and Neo-Gothic façade and towers overlooking Mount Etna! The nearby Church of Saints Peter and Paul is the perfect backdrop for many photos, but the true masterpiece is the Basilica of St Sebastian, a veritable “stone embroidery” overlooking a small garden and square. In Acireale, it’s certainly worth admiring also the beautiful 18th-century Town Hall, the baroque Dafnica street, the Chiazzette nature trail (which starts in the Suffragio neighborhood and leads down to the rocky beach), or—at the end of the main street, Corso Umberto—the Villa Belvedere garden with its panoramic balcony overlooking the coast.
Fancy our tip? Treat yourself to a visit to the Cathedral’s bell towers. The ticket price is very affordable, and the stairs aren’t too difficult (after climbing the lower ramps, you’ll find yourself in spacious, bright rooms). From the top, on clear days, you can admire both the grandeur of Mount Etna dominating the city and the historic center with the sea in the background!
Etna is not far away
From Acireale, with the right transfers, you can also easily reach Mount Etna. The volcano is just 30 km away, a distance that can be covered by car in 30 minutes (if you only need to stop in Zafferana or Milo) or 50 minutes (if you want to take the cable car to the summit). Trust us! Etna, in spring, is also a veritable ” festival of flowers “! Don’t miss it!
