"Mercantia - teatral-festa-mercato-medievale" is the most important cultural event in Certaldo. Thanks to its original and innovative character it has become one of the most interesting and appreciated busker's festivals (festivals of street musicians) in Italy.

Created in 1988 on the initiative of the municipality of Certaldo, it takes place each year in the third week of July. For five nights you can walk through the streets and the squares of Certaldo Alto and take pleasure in the shows organised by the "Peanuts Theatre ". Street artists coming from all parts of Italy and from all over the world mingle with the local artisans who work outdoor thus creating a show in the open air through which the spectator goes while being carried away by the particular atmosphere of the medieval Certaldo. In the lower part of the town the feast is also livened up by a market.
In the years the festival has considerably widened its horizons and it now welcomes clowns, musicians, puppeteers, actors and jugglers from all over the world. Popular music, fireworks and percussion shows are only some of the main attractions. There's also space for an old art as puppets, celebrated by the great writers of the German romanticism, which finally finds its place and its ideal dimension in Certaldo. Wonderful parades tinge the streets of the medieval village and circus artists perform acrobatics in the open air.
Doubtlessly the formula of "Mercantia" makes this festival unique in its genre. If on the one hand it is an important showcase for the best street artists, the review has also the aim of recovering and spreading the handicraft tradition of the small Tuscan municipalities, a heritage of popular culture that charms curious and tourists. In the latest editions thousand people crossed through the streets of Certaldo and in the edition of 2004 there were more than 80000 visitors.