5 Shows in Rome to Build a Day Around

1.Gladiator Show and Museum Tickets

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 237 reviews · 1.5 hours · from $29Our pick

At Gruppo Storico Romano, you’ll tour a small Roman legionary museum, sample period-style snacks and wine, then watch gladiator fights, dances, rites, and comic pantomime. The 90-minute evening is family-friendly, interactive, and staged with real weapons and armor. Shows run May through September 2026.

“What an amazing evening. We travelled there and back by bus as a family of 4 and were met by tranquil Roman music and incense. Between 8.30 and 9.00pm there is the opportunity to look around a mini museum of sorts and eat some complimentary Roman nibbles whilst an engaging slave owner describes the evening about to unfold. The show is between 9.00 and 10.00pm and we watched a comedy warm up act, gladiators fighting, and young Roman girls dancing. There are even opportunities for audience participation in various ways. I’d go back in a heartbeat if ever in Rome again.”

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2.Cabaret and Burlesque Show Entry Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 103 reviews · 3 hours · from $35

Spend about three hours at an intimate Roman cabaret with live music, singers, drag performers, burlesque dancers, and comedy. Most of the show is in Italian, but the host checks in with English. Your $35 ticket requires a €15 association fee at the door, including your first drink.

“It was amazing. Highly recommend. One of the best things I did in Rome.”

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3.Rooftop Bar Opera Show

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 94 reviews · from $190

You’ll hear professional singers perform Puccini, Verdi, Rossini, and Bellini in a small English-hosted setting above Piazza Navona. Your 75-minute visit includes a reserved seat, Italian aperitif, final Prosecco toast, and access to Terrazza Borromini.

“Amazing performance - the performers were so talented, the venue was beautiful - even though it poured with rain when we got there and we had to move inside, the indoor venue was still beautiful, and the whole experience was perfect, thank you!”

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4.Cabaret Burlesque Show Experience with Dinner

★★★★★★★★★★3.7 · 32 reviews · 2 hours · from $65

Spend an evening at Ellington Club with a reserved table, three-course dinner, and the Verissima cabaret. Expect Italian and English hosting, burlesque, singers, comic skits, colorful costumes, Broadway songs, and classic pop. Entry is from 8 PM, while the show begins between 9:30 and 10 PM.

“Ottima esperienza , era la prima volta che partecipavo a uno spettacolo di Burlesque , faccio i complimenti a tutto lo staff . Torneremo sicuramente.”

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5.Night Life Walking Tour and Burlesque Show Entry

★★★★★★★★★★5.0 · 3 reviews · 3 hours · from $77Top rated

Meet your English-speaking guide at Piazza dell’Immacolata, walk through San Lorenzo, hear Roman stories over wine, enjoy live music with a beer, then enter a burlesque show. Guide Nina has led some departures, and a €15 drink at the final venue is extra.

“Our whole experience was absolutely amazing from the start of the activity where we met our guide Nina and she told us some history of Rome then we went to a bar with live music and later the burlesque show which was a 10/10! We were a group of 9 friends for a bachelorette party and this activity was the highlight of the trip”

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