The Palio of Flag Wavers & Musicians

Impalpable coloured butterflies hovering in the summer sky. This is the extraordinary vision of those who attend the flag-wavers’ and musicians’ competitions that take place on Saturday and Sunday of the first weekend in July. The splendid Arringo Square becomes a fiery arena for the occasion, where the six Sestieri compete for the flag-wavers’ and musicians’ banner. The degree of dexterity achieved today is so high that they even excel in the national championships organised every year by the Italian Federation of Flag Wavers. The competition began in 1989 and the first location was People’s Square, then from the 2004 edition the new scenario became Arringo Square.

The competition in which the six sestieri compete today is divided into the following specialities: “Single”, “Pair”, “Small Team” (4 to 6 flag-wavers) and “Large Team and Musicians” (8 to 16 flag-wavers). Precisely the speciality of the musicians has been introduced since 2004. At the end of each speciality, a ranking of the six sestieri is drawn up, then the various rankings of the different specialities make up the final combined ranking. The winner of the Palio is the sestiere that comes first in the final combined classification.