Summer is beach season, with hot days and busy weekends along the coast. May, June, September, and early October are often better for combining swimming with walking up to viewpoints.
The major date is the Varia di Palmi, held in honour of Our Lady of the Sacred Letter and traditionally celebrated on the last Sunday of August. The procession carries a towering votive machine through town; it is crowded, intense, and very much Palmi's own.