Events guide
Tocatì 2026: Why September Is a Brilliant Time to Be in Verona
September is one of the most rewarding moments to visit Verona: the heat has softened, the Arena season is coming to its close and the city begins to feel less like a...
Published July 24, 2026 · Welcome to Verona Editorial Team
September is one of the most rewarding moments to visit Verona: the heat has softened, the Arena season is coming to its close and the city begins to feel less like a list of landmarks. Tocatì adds another reason to choose that window. From 18 to 20 September 2026, the International Festival of Street Games returns for its twenty-fourth edition.
This is not an event to experience from a theatre seat. Its subject is play, but its real setting is the city itself. Squares and streets in Veronetta become places to watch, try, learn and linger, giving visitors a reason to cross the Adige and spend time in a part of Verona that many short itineraries overlook.
What is happening in 2026
Visit Verona lists the festival for 18, 19 and 20 September, with Ireland as the guest of honour. The programme brings together traditional games from Italy and abroad with cultural activities, built around the idea of play as a connection between communities and generations.
Tocatì has a specific cultural weight too. The official listing notes that the festival is included in UNESCO's Register of Good Safeguarding Practices for Intangible Cultural Heritage. For a visitor, that does not need to become an academic lesson. It simply explains why the event feels different from a generic street fair: the games are treated as living traditions rather than decoration.
Use Veronetta as the centre of the weekend
If you are staying for the festival, do not make Veronetta an optional detour after a standard old-town itinerary. Start there instead. Cross Ponte Pietra, spend time at the Roman Theatre side of the river and allow the smaller streets to set the pace. The festival's presence will make that area more animated, but it also gives you a useful reason to look beyond Piazza Bra and Via Mazzini.
The best plan is deliberately loose. Choose a morning or afternoon for the festival, keep one meal unplanned and leave room for an unhurried river walk. A September weekend in Verona becomes more memorable when it has a little local rhythm, not just an efficient route between the city's most photographed places.
Plan for a popular weekend
Because Tocatì is city-wide in feeling, it is wise to book your accommodation and transport before the last minute. Check the official event listing again closer to September for maps, programme updates and any access information. Public events can change their detailed schedules even when the festival dates remain fixed.
Tip: Tocatì 2026 is scheduled from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 September in Veronetta, with Ireland as guest of honour. Use the official Visit Verona page for the final programme and treat the festival as a reason to explore the east-bank neighbourhood slowly.