Palermo Weather
Weather forecasts for Palermo today and the coming days, updated in real time. Climate, rainfall, daylight hours and the best seasons to visit Palermo.
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It’s widely held that May to June and September to October are the best months to visit Palermo: warm temperatures still allow for swimming and you’ll avoid the scorching sun and drought of August.
The mild climate with scant rainfall and the city’s rich artistic and cultural heritage make Sicily’s capital a pleasure to visit not only in spring and summer, but also in autumn and winter.
The extraordinary events held in Palermo are unmissable opportunities to connect with the soul of this captivating city, to explore important themes or simply enjoy some well-deserved entertainment!
Religious celebrations are deeply observed, particularly those dedicated to the beloved Santa Rosalia and Santa Lucia, but Palermo is far more than tradition: it’s a city in motion, energetic and proud to generate new ideas and champion them forward.
Cultural and gastronomic festivals have emerged in recent years as testament to the active artistic ferment in the city, already attracting numerous visitors and showing every sign of becoming major events not only on the national but also international cultural calendar.
Here’s a brief “map” to help you navigate the variety of events organised annually in Palermo, complete with useful information on the climate during each season of the year.
Spring, especially late May to early June, is undoubtedly the best time for a Palermo holiday. Temperatures are warm, days are lengthening, rainfall is minimal. Beaches aren’t yet overrun with tourists and flight and hotel prices are considerably lower than during the summer months.
It’s the perfect moment to savour the beauty of a unique city like Palermo.
March/April
Easter time is certainly a fascinating period to visit Palermo, when you can witness the passionate participation of locals in centuries-old traditional rituals.
There are numerous celebrations throughout the week from Palm Sunday to Easter Day.
A particularly special day is Maundy Thursday, when Palermo’s churches remain open to the faithful until late evening for the “visita ai sepolcri” (visit to the sepulchres), altars adorned with flowers and bowls of wheat shoots as symbols of abundance.
Good Friday is the day of solemn processions carrying the statue of the Virgin Mary and the image of the deceased Christ through the city: almost every neighbourhood and confraternity organises one, but the most spectacular are those of the Cocchieri, the Confraternity of Maria SS. Addolorata, the Soledad and the Cassari.
Don’t miss the “Calata r’a tila” ritual, which takes place on the night between Saturday and Sunday in the Church of San Domenico: during a Holy Mass, an image of the Risen Christ, placed above the main altar and covered since Good Friday, is revealed in a striking manner.
Late May
Those who think of Palermo as a static and somewhat outdated place will think again after attending the Sicilia Queer Film Festival, an international cinema showcase dedicated to new visions and the culture of diversity, which reached its 15th edition in 2025. It’s Sicily’s longest-running LGBT festival and one of the most important on the Italian cultural landscape.
Held every year in the second half of May — usually from the 25th to the 31st — at the Cinema De Seta and other spaces at Cantieri Culturali alla Zisa in Palermo. It includes a showcase of international films, a short film section, a competition, a summer school and thematic workshops.
The same energetic team also organises the Festival Teatro Bastardo, usually held in November.
When thinking of Sicily, images of sun and sea immediately come to mind. Summer is the warmest season, with long days, high temperatures that invite relaxation and leisure, and many hours of daylight that boost your mood.
Enjoy the joys of summer in Palermo, but don’t forget to take necessary precautions to avoid sunburn and dehydration: use adequate sun protection, protect your head with a hat and drink plenty of water.
Also watch out for flight and hotel prices: if you’re travelling during peak season, it’s always advisable to book well in advance, otherwise you risk paying considerably more.
June
The splendid setting of Palermo’s botanical gardens hosts Una marina di libri – Festival dell’editoria indipendente (A Sea of Books – Independent Publishing Festival) in June: four days packed with events, featuring debates, readings, book launches, concerts, screenings and activities for children such as storytelling and educational and recreational workshops.
Over 100 publishers take part in this event which in just a few years has become a key point of reference for cultural operators in the region and rightly aspires to become one of Italy’s most important literary festivals and make Palermo Italy’s third major book hub after Turin and Rome.
June
Founded in Pisa in 2006 and subsequently moved to various Italian cities, the Festival del Viaggio now takes place twice yearly, first in Florence and then in Palermo.
It’s a multidisciplinary festival entirely devoted to travel: travel as a theme is presented here in all its possible forms. There are no prizes, it’s not just about great travellers, it doesn’t focus solely on extraordinary journeys: travel is at the heart of life here, more a journey than a destination.
The programme includes meetings, book launches, screenings, theatrical performances, dinners and tastings of ethnic cuisine, photo exhibitions and art installations.
July
The feast of Santa Rosalia, the city’s much-beloved patron saint, is a spectacle steeped in religion, folklore, tradition and creativity.
More than a festival, it’s typically a four-day celebration from 10 to 14 July. Its highlight comes with the procession of Santuzza’s float, a work of profound symbolic significance and extraordinary visual impact, and the procession carrying the saint’s relics through the city, commemorating the miraculous plague recovery of the seventeenth century.
For its evocative atmosphere, with neighbourhoods decked out festively, traditional spectacles and a new theatrical production each year recounting the saint and her relationship with the city, plus the delights of Sicilian culinary traditions, Palermo is stunning to visit during the days of the “U fistìnu” (the festival).
Late summer and early autumn are a recommended time to visit Palermo. Temperatures are still warm and swimming is possible well into October.
True, the days are somewhat shorter, but there’s another advantage to visiting Palermo in autumn: a less touristy season means quieter beaches and better choice of flights and hotels at reasonable prices.
Don’t worry about rain: statistics show October is the wettest month, but rainfall in Sicily is sparse and generally doesn’t cause a problem.
September
The eco-festival dedicated to the Mediterranean Sea organised annually in Palermo by the environmental association Legambiente is also a great time for entertainment, with concerts, theatre performances, antique markets and games for children. Food stalls offer traditional Mediterranean dishes.
What makes the festival special, run entirely by volunteers, is that it’s a “zero-emission festival“, with responsible use of resources, whether water, food, plastic or transport.
October
A relatively new event with promise of becoming a fixture (and highlight) on Sicily’s cultural calendar is the Festival delle letterature migranti, which finds its rightful place in a city with Palermo’s historically multicultural fabric.
Literature is the main focus, but there’s room for other forms of expression: the common thread is the desire to understand the complex theme of migration.
November
Each year the Antonio Pasqualino International Museum of Puppets in Palermo brings the magic of puppet theatre to life, staging performances of pupi and puppets using the precious materials displayed in the museum.
Over the years the Festival di Morgana has expanded, taking on a global dimension: at over 50 editions of the festival — the 50th was celebrated in November 2025 — puppet artists and companies from the most diverse countries have participated, including Vietnam, Indonesia, Turkey and Myanmar.
For performances at the Puppet Museum, booking is required at a cost of €2, to be made on the festival’s official website; for performances at other venues entry is free until capacity is reached. If you’re in Palermo during the festival, don’t miss the chance to witness this unique and utterly fascinating event that keeps alive an ancient Sicilian tradition.
November
Among the city’s various sporting events, the annual marathon is certainly the most famous and popular, reaching its 30th edition in 2025.
You can take part in the full marathon of 42.195 km, the half-marathon of 21.097 km or the 4×10.5 km relay, a format that also allows you to participate as part of a team.
Visiting Palermo in winter: why not? The image of a sunny and warm Sicily often doesn’t encourage visits to Palermo during the “cold” seasons.
However, bearing in mind that Sicily’s temperatures are mild even in winter (they very rarely drop below 7-8°C), a Palermo holiday during the winter months could be an excellent idea, especially for lovers of art, history and culture.
And while you’re there, why not consider celebrating New Year in Palermo? Good food, friendly and hospitable people, wonderful views: all the ingredients are there to end one year and begin the next in style.
December
The very young Palermo Street Food Fest – International Street Food Festival is a celebration of Palermo as the street food capital.
During the festival days, the city centre transforms into an open-air gastronomic village with tastings of culinary delicacies from around the world, cooking competitions, cooking shows, workshops and classes. Live music, street artists, meetings and debates provide entertainment throughout the festival.
December
A celebration that blurs the line between the religious and the gastronomic is the feast of Santa Lucia, another saint very dear to Palermitans.
On her feast day, 13 December, Palermo’s residents abstain from eating bread and pasta in memory of the Saint’s miracle, which freed the city from famine.
While the city’s bakeries are closed, the fried food stalls do a roaring trade with their tasty arancini and pastry shops selling cuccìa, a dessert made with boiled wheat and ricotta typical of this feast.
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