What’s On in Florence – October 2025

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October is festival-and-fair season in Florence: city squares brim with markets and vintage finds, the Florence Biennale transforms the Fortezza into a global stage for contemporary art and design, and the Maggio’s autumn programme fills concert halls with opera and symphonic colour. With chestnut and truffle sagre in the hills, film cycles returning, and neighbourhood fairs lighting up Sundays, it’s the ideal month to mix culture with slow, seasonal wandering.

Pop Culture & Community:
Concerts & Music:
Art & Exhibitions:
Festivals & Special Events:
Theatre, Performance & Musicals:
Sport:
Food, Drink & Nightlife:
Conferences & Learning / Workshops:
Want more What’s On details?

Pop Culture & Community:

1. Autumn Antiques & Vintage Markets
   • Dates: throughout October
   • Where: Fortezza da Basso & city squares
   • Details: The month’s third weekend features a large antiques fair; plus rotating flea & craft markets.
2. Fierucolina d’Autunno
   • Dates: mid-October (Sunday)
   • Where: Piazza Santo Spirito
   • Details: Monthly farmer-makers market with organic producers and small artisans.
3. Florence Biennale – Community Days & Public Programme
   • Dates: October 18–26
   • Where: Fortezza da Basso
   • Details: Talks, live sets, design showcases & guest spotlights around the main exhibition.
4. Santo Spirito in Fiera
   • Dates: Sun 26 Oct
   • Where: Piazza Santo Spirito
   • Details: Big Oltrarno market day with crafts, vintage, and street food.

Concerts & Music:

1. Maggio Musicale Fiorentino – Symphonic & Opera Concerts
   • Dates: Throughout October (see also Opera below)
   • Where: Teatro del Maggio & Auditorium
   • Details: Symphonic programmes and vocal galas.
2. Buzzcocks
   • Dates: Sat 4 Oct
   • Where: Viper Theatre
   • Details: Punk icons bring a career-spanning set.
3. Piero Pelù
   • Dates: Fri 10 Oct
   • Where: Viper Theatre
   • Details: Florentine rock legend live.
4. Pink Floyd Legend
   • Dates: Fri 10 Oct
   • Where: Teatro Verdi
   • Details: Symphonic rock tribute with immersive visuals.
5. Angelo Branduardi
   • Dates: Sat 11 Oct
   • Where: Teatro Verdi
   • Details: The minstrel of Italian folk-prog.
6. Anastasio
   • Dates: Sat 18 Oct
   • Where: Viper Theatre
   • Details: Rap/alt-pop showcase.
7. Orchestra della Toscana – Season Opener
   • Dates: Wed 22 Oct
   • Where: Teatro Verdi
   • Details: Symphony night with ORT.
8. Marco Masini
   • Dates: Sat 25 Oct
   • Where: Nelson Mandela Forum
   • Details: Home-region arena show.
9. Salmo
   • Dates: Sun 26 Oct
   • Where: Nelson Mandela Forum
   • Details: Rap headliner.

Art & Exhibitions:

1. Casa Buonarroti – “Michelangelo’s La Sistina”
   • Dates: From Sept 24 (ongoing)
   • Where: Casa Buonarroti
   • Details: Multimedia exploration of Michelangelo’s Sistine legacy.
2. Palazzo Medici Riccardi – “Clemen Parrocchetti. Ironia Ribelle”
   • Dates: From Oct 2
   • Where: Palazzo Medici Riccardi
   • Details: 100+ works across media examining women’s experience.
3. XV Florence Biennale – The Sublime Essence of Light and Darkness
   • Dates: Oct 18–26
   • Where: Fortezza da Basso
   • Details: 550+ artists/designers, talks & special projects (incl. Tim Burton tribute programme).
4. Villa Bardini – “Oceani” by David Doubilet
   • Dates: From Oct 21
   • Where: Villa Bardini
   • Details: 80 underwater photographs from National Geographic’s master.
5. Museo Novecento – “Centoventi: Villa Romana 1905–2025”
   • Dates: October (check museum calendar)
   • Where: Museo Novecento
   • Details: Anniversary exhibition of a storied Florentine artists’ house.
6. Uffizi / Palazzo Strozzi / Museo di San Marco
   • Dates: Ongoing rotating shows
   • Where: Various major museums
   • Details: Blockbusters and new rotations across the city’s headline institutions.

Festivals & Special Events:

1. Marradi Chestnut Festival
   • Dates: Sun 5, 12, 19 & 26 Oct
   • Where: Marradi (Mugello)
   • Details: Roasted chestnuts, sweets & street music; autumn trains often scheduled.
2. Fiera di San Luca – Impruneta
   • Dates: Around Oct 11–19 (week incl. Oct 18)
   • Where: Impruneta (easy bus from Florence)
   • Details: One of Europe’s oldest fairs: livestock roots, artisans, rides & food stalls.
3. Florence Biennale – Citywide Side Events
   • Dates: Oct 18–26
   • Where: Various
   • Details: Pop-ups, screenings & talks linked to the main fair.
4. 50 Days of Cinema
   • Dates: Late October start
   • Where: City cinemas
   • Details: International and indie film programmes return for autumn.

Theatre, Performance & Musicals:

1. ORT at Teatro Verdi – Opening Concert
   • Dates: Wed 22 Oct
   • Where: Teatro Verdi
   • Details: Symphony opener with Orchestra della Toscana.
2. “Cantando sotto la pioggia” (Singin’ in the Rain)
   • Dates: Oct 24–26
   • Where: Teatro Verdi
   • Details: Season opener for Verdi’s musical calendar.

Sport:

1. City Running Tours & Park Runs
   • Dates: Weekends
   • Where: Cascine Park & riverside
   • Details: Community 5–10k options; cooler temps make October ideal.

Food, Drink & Nightlife:

1. Harvest Sagre around Florence
   • Dates: All month (various weekends)
   • Where: Barberino, Impruneta & Mugello towns
   • Details: Truffle, wine and chestnut events – day trips from Florence.
2. Night Markets & Live Music
   • Dates: Fridays/Saturdays
   • Where: Local bars, clubs & markets
   • Details: Check monthly gig lists for DJ nights, open-mics and pop-ups.

Conferences & Learning / Workshops:

1. British Institute – October Lecture Series
   • Dates: Weekly in October (Weds evenings)
   • Where: Harold Acton Library / Online
   • Details: Art history, literature and Florence-focused talks; plus craft workshops.
2. Maggio Musicale – Open Rehearsals / Talks (select dates)
   • Dates: Check calendar
   • Where: Teatro del Maggio
   • Details: Pre-concert talks and education events around the opera season.
3. Film & Media – “50 Days of Cinema” talks/screenings
   • Dates: Late October onwards
   • Where: City cinemas
   • Details: International/indie series with Q&As.

Opera & Symphonic – October at Maggio Musicale Fiorentino:

1. Fabbrica Europa: “Sisifo felice” (Dance) – Oct 10–11 – Auditorium
2. Alessandro Scarlatti: “Il Ciro” – Oct 10–12 & 14, 17, 19 – Teatro Goldoni
3. Verdi: “Macbeth” – Oct 12, 14, 17, 19 – Great Hall
4. Haydn: “Die Jahreszeiten” – Oct 18 – Auditorium
5. Symphonic: Liszt & Bartók – Oct 24 – Auditorium
6. Family: “The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra” – Oct 26 – Auditorium (morning)

End summary: From Biennale buzz and Bardini vistas to chestnut Sundays and Verdi nights, October in Florence blends blockbuster culture with neighbourhood warmth. Pick a museum in the morning, graze a sagra for lunch, then finish with an opera or indie gig — and leave room for a Sunday market stroll in Santo Spirito.

These listings are curated for October 2025. Confirm dates/times and ticketing directly with organisers as schedules can change.

Want more What’s On details?

1. • Visit Florence – Events & Calendar
   • Destination Florence – Florence Biennale
   • The Florentine – Best Events This Month
   • Maggio Musicale Fiorentino – Calendar
   • La Fierucola – Markets Calendar
   • Fiera di San Luca – Impruneta
   • Mugello Tourism – Marradi Chestnut Festival
   • Songkick – Florence Gigs
   • Cosa Fare a Firenze – October Markets