Lucca’s event calendar is dominated by two heavyweights: the Lucca Summer Festival in July and Lucca Comics and Games in late October. Between them, religious processions, antique markets, and garden shows fill the year. Book accommodation 3 to 6 months ahead if your trip coincides with either of the two big events: hotel rooms inside the walls sell out and prices double or triple.
Before booking, check Lucca weather by month to know what to expect. See our best time to visit Lucca guide for the best months.
Lucca Summer Festival (July)
Piazza Napoleone. Throughout July (usually 8 to 12 concert dates spread across the month). Tickets €40 to €90 depending on the act. This is Lucca’s biggest music event, held in the vast Piazza Napoleone inside the walls. Past headliners include Bob Dylan, Elton John, Sting, Nick Cave, and The Rolling Stones. The piazza holds about 7,000 people for seated concerts. Tickets sell through TicketOne.it and the official festival site (luccasummerfestival.it). Even if you don’t attend a concert, the sound carries through the entire walled city on concert nights. Most shows start at 9:30pm. Restaurants on Piazza dell’Anfiteatro fill up by 7pm on concert nights.
Lucca Comics and Games (Late October to Early November)
Entire walled city. Usually October 31 to November 3 (4 days). Day tickets from €22, 4-day passes from €65. Europe’s largest comic convention and the second-largest in the world after Japan’s Comiket. Over 300,000 visitors descend on Lucca. The entire walled city becomes the venue: piazzas host cosplay gatherings, exhibition pavilions fill the bastions, and every street inside the walls is packed. If you’re attending, book accommodation by June (yes, 5 months ahead). If you’re not attending, avoid Lucca these dates entirely. The festival started in 1966 as a small comic fair and has grown into a pop culture phenomenon covering comics, gaming, film, TV, and cosplay. Most content is in Italian but the visual spectacle transcends language.
Settembre Lucchese (September)
Various locations. Entire month of September. Most events are free. This month-long cultural festival fills the calendar with open-air concerts, street markets, historical reenactments, and the Luminara di Santa Croce on September 13 (a candlelit procession from San Frediano to the cathedral). The Palio della Balestra on September 14 is a medieval crossbow competition between Lucca and the town of Gubbio, held in Piazza San Martino. The antique market (Mercato dell’Antiquariato) runs the third weekend of every month but the September edition is the largest, spreading across Piazza San Giusto and Piazza San Giovanni.
Lucca Carnival (February)
Streets inside the walls. Date varies (Sunday through Shrove Tuesday, usually February). Free. Smaller and more family-oriented than Viareggio’s famous carnival (25km away), Lucca’s Carnevale fills the medieval streets with costumed children, confetti, and small floats. Piazza San Michele is the focal point. Bakeries sell cenci (fried dough strips dusted with powdered sugar) and frittelle (rice fritters) throughout the carnival period.
Find hotels near the venues with our where to stay in Lucca guide. Explore the city with our things to do in Lucca guide.
See our Lucca travel tips for transport advice, browse our Lucca neighborhoods guide, and check the complete Lucca city guide.
Christmas Market and Holiday Season (December to January)
Piazza San Michele. Early December through January 6. Free entry. The Christmas market sets up wooden stalls selling nativity figurines, local crafts, vin brulé (mulled wine), and roasted chestnuts. An ice skating rink appears on Piazza Napoleone from mid-December (€8 including skate rental). The Feast of Santa Zita (April 27) brings flowers to San Frediano. The Feast of San Paolino (July 12) is Lucca’s patron saint day with a morning mass at the cathedral and evening fireworks.
