Italy to celebrate Labour Day on May 1

Rome: Italy celebrates Labour Day – known as the Festa dei Lavoratori or Festa del Lavoro – with a nationwide public holiday every year on May 1 .

This year the holiday falls on a Sunday so will not result in an extra day off for Italy’s schools or public offices.

The annual event, marked in more than 80 countries, is held in commemoration of the labour movement and the social and economic achievements of trade unions on behalf of workers.

The Primo Maggio holiday is marked in Rome with a free May Day concert which will once again be open to the public after the last two editions were curtailed by the covid-19 pandemic.

Organised by Italy’s trade unions, the concertone attracts established acts along with rising stars from the Italian music industry and is used as a platform to promote workers’ rights.

The concert, in its 32nd edition, kicks off at 15.00 in Piazza S. Giovanni in Laterano and will be broadcast live on Rai3, Radio2 and RaiPlay.

The 2022 line-up includes Ariete, Carmen Consoli, Coez, Enrico Ruggeri, Le Vibrazioni, Max Pezzali, Tommaso Paradiso and many more.

The event will result in numerous traffic diversions in the area on Sunday as well as the closure of S. Giovanni metro station.