Four centuries on, u fistinu is still the night Palermo cares about most. The festival dates back to 1624, when the city credited Saint Rosalia's relics with ending a plague epidemic, and it has been repeated every year since. On the evening of 14 July a triumphal float bearing the saint's statue is hauled along the Cassaro, the old main street, from the Royal Palace down to the Foro Italico waterfront, with theatre, music and enormous crowds along the way.
The climax is the masculiata, a long fireworks display over the sea; the following day the saint's relics are carried in procession through the historic centre. The 402nd edition, in July 2026, added a swarm of light drones to the traditional programme.
