Carnivals 2026 in Campania: masks and rituals between history and celebration

Campania is a land extraordinarily rich in carnival traditions, with festivities that enliven towns and villages through masks, music, dances, and popular rituals. Carnival thus becomes a special time of collective participation, capable of transforming urban spaces into a widespread stage of color and joy.

The Campanian carnivals listed in the Campanian Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage (IPIC) represent a heritage of great historical and cultural value. These events, deeply rooted in their territories and communities, form a mosaic of diverse traditions united by symbols, ritual gestures, and expressive forms whose origins lie in the past.

In 2026, Carnival in Campania continues to be not only a celebration, but a living experience that weaves together performance, creativity, and conviviality. From parades to theatrical performances, from dances to traditional music, each celebration contributes to making Carnival a central moment in regional cultural life, expressing a tradition that still has the power to engage and surprise.

The Mascarata in Serino La Mascarata Serinese 2026, now in its 37th edition and recognized as an Intangible Cultural Heritage of Campania, is one of the most anticipated events by the Serino community. The festival blends history, folklore, and collective participation, transforming the streets of the San Biagio district and the surrounding towns into an open-air stage.

At the heart of the Mascarata is a symbolic story based on the contrast between the Belli (the Beautiful) and the Brutti (the Ugly): the former embody harmony, elegance, and the order of the celebration, dancing with composed movements and carefully crafted costumes; the latter represent distortion, excess, and carnival-like comedy, breaking the rules and subverting social norms. From this opposition arises the ritual and grotesque wedding that animates the parade, expressing identity, irony, and popular memory.

The program continues through March with parades, workshops, cultural meetings, and convivial moments, starting with the official appearances of the Mascarata and the Mascarata Lab 2026. Key events will include the parades on February 8, 15, and 17 in San Biagio, in Avellino for the Cento Carnevali d’Irpinia, and during the traditional Carnevale Morto, a symbolic and identity-rich ritual.

The Carnival of Montoro (AV) Known as the “Mascarata”, it stands out for the historical events held in the hamlets of Piazza di Pandola, Borgo, Figlioli, and Banzano. Each Mascarata maintains a strong connection to its original culture, offering a wide variety of characters and traditions.

From parades full of traditional masks, such as Pulcinella on horseback, to La Vecchia ro Carnual (the old woman of Carnival), whose movements recall Baubo from the Eleusinian mysteries; from Vecchia cu a Cunocchia, holding a spindle that alludes to Clotho, the first of the three Fates, to processional dances that are apotropaic, ambiguous, and suggestive of rebirth, with the pelvis rhythmically thrust forward.

The interweaving of bodies moves as a compact unit, advancing in a military-tarantella rhythm, reminiscent of the Salii, the ancient priest-dancers of Mars, a deity who, before Rome, was part of the Osco-Sabellic culture, an ancient aviator people of the Montoro valley.

The Carnival of Montoro therefore remains a cultural container that, despite “modern manipulations,” preserves much of its structural framework, confirming itself as, above all, a celebration of traditions linked to ancestral seasonal rebirth rituals, authentic and vibrant.

Each year, on Carnival Monday and Shrove Tuesday, Pago del Vallo di Lauro (AV) comes alive with parades of folk groups accompanying an allegorical float. Two traditional dances are performed: the Laccio d’Amore, an ancient courtship dance linked to fertility rites, and the Quadriglia, a couple dance introduced by the French in the 18th century.

In Teora (AV), Carnival is celebrated with Lì Squacqualacchiun, ancient, primitive, and grotesque figures wearing sackcloth costumes and inside-out jackets. Their faces are covered by hoods that reveal only the eyes; they carry sticks, wear cowbells that produce a hollow sound, and use pine needles in their rituals.

As they roam the village neighborhoods, they tease and provoke passers-by with antics and rather “bold” gestures. Once in the town center, they perform a dance around lu pagliar (the bonfire) and the main fountain, completing their ritual.

The Carnival of Montemarano (AV) begins on 17 January with the feast of Saint Anthony Abbot and reaches its peak on Sunday, Monday, and Shrove Tuesday. It ends the following Sunday with the dramatic-satirical farce known as the Death of Carnival.

The celebration is marked by a distinctive tarantella danced by masked couples called Mascarate. Ethnomusicological studies link this processional dance to pre-Christian rites such as the Roman Saturnalia and Dionysian festivals.

In Castelvetere sul Calore (AV), Carnival dates back to 1683 and originated from rivalries between artisans of the Castle and the Plain. Today the festival is an artistic and traditional explosion, involving the community in creating allegorical floats and costumes, alongside shared moments of food, drink, and entertainment.

The Zeza of Bellizzi Irpino, a hamlet of Avellino, dates back to the 17th century and is a comic-farcical portrayal of the marriage of Porzia, daughter of Pulcinella and Zeza.

Performed by male actors, it involves the entire community, with elaborate costumes parodying 19th-century bourgeois style. The Capozeza, organizer of the event, leads the final quadrille.

The Zeza of Mercogliano (AV) is a tragicomic farce derived from the Commedia dell’Arte, performed during Carnival between 17 January and Shrove Tuesday. Dating back to the 19th century, it gained international fame through Pier Paolo Pasolini’s film Decameron.

The Zeza portrays the colorful wedding of Vincenzella, involving the entire community in a procession, a theatrical performance, and the lively Ballo Intreccio quadrille.

During Carnival, performances such as ’A Zeza, I Mesi (The Months), and the Laccio d’Amore enliven the festive atmosphere of Avella (AV). The Zeza is a form of sung popular theater accompanied by castanets, triccheballacche, and tambourines, performed entirely by men in costume, with exuberant tarantellas engaging the audience. Also staged are I Mesi and the Laccio d’Amore, a dance around a pole symbolizing fertility and abundance.

The Zeza of Cesinali (AV) takes place on Shrove Tuesday with a lively and ironic theatrical performance recounting the troubled marriage between Porzia and Don Zenobio.

Chases, role reversals, and sharp dialogue lead to the final Quadrille, a collective dance guided by commands in macaronic French, bringing the celebration to a close with music and movement.

In Montemiletto (AV), the Zeza is a theatrical performance featuring dances, songs, and traditional costumes, involving about 200 participants. It dramatizes a marriage ritual centered on Porziella, daughter of Zeza and Pulcinella, who wishes to marry the Sailor while her father promises her to Doctor Don Zenobio.

After various twists, all characters take part in the Quadrille—a folk dance with flowered arches—performed exclusively by men, in keeping with ancient theatrical tradition.

During Carnival, Rotondi (AV) comes alive with the Quadrille and the Zeza, at the heart of a celebration filled with music, dance, and irony. Groups in traditional costumes perform collective choreographies, while the Zeza stages Pulcinella and other characters in a vivid and satirical performance.

The Carnival of Cervinara (AV), celebrated on Shrove Tuesday, revolves around the ’Ndrezzata, an ancient war-inspired dance linked to Ischian tradition and a legendary local battle.

Ritual choreographies, the rural Quadrille, and costumed parades animate the celebration.

Celebrated on Shrove Tuesday, the Petrurese Carnival (AV) enlivens Petruro di Forino with dances, masks, and convivial gatherings. The Ballo o ’Ntreccio and the Mascarata move through neighborhoods, welcomed into homes with traditional food and wine. Interwoven circles, colorful ribbons, and tarantella rhythms create a festive atmosphere for visitors.

The “Scardone” Carnival of Pietrelcina (BN) celebrates ancient rural traditions through performances linked to the seasonal cycle of agricultural work. The festivities begin on 17 January, on the occasion of Saint Anthony Abbot, and continue until Shrove Tuesday.

Each district of the town and each rural farmhouse builds its own Scardone, which is later burned in a ritual symbolizing the death of winter and the rebirth of spring.

Among the oldest in Italy, the Carnival of Capua (CE) enlivens the city from Fat Thursday to Shrove Tuesday with masked parades, marching bands, and papier-mâché allegorical floats.

The celebration opens with the satirical proclamation of King Carnival and culminates in the evocative ritual of his death, marked by a funeral procession that ends in the Volturno River amid lights, decorations, and a theatrical atmosphere.

The Carnival of Castel Morrone (CE) is one of the most deeply rooted in popular tradition. With its blend of folklore, history, and ancient rituals, it features traditional allegorical float parades accompanied by the sound of the tammorra drum and local folk songs. The masks of Castel Morrone are among the most fascinating in Campania, depicting mythical and symbolic figures tied to local culture. The event also brings the community together to celebrate the arrival of spring.

The Carnival of Cellole (CE) is a spontaneous event that originated in the 1950s and later grew thanks to families arriving from Capua, a city with a strong carnival tradition. It features allegorical float parades and masked processions, with each neighborhood building its own float followed by a cortege of performers.

The celebration also involves nearby communities as far as southern Lazio, becoming a driving force for the local economy.

The Carnival of Palma Campania (NA), documented since 1859, is distinguished by its Quadriglie—groups of about 200 masked performers who play, sing, and dance through the streets. Under the direction of a band leader, musicians perform with wind instruments, bass drum, and cymbals, while the dancers use traditional wooden percussion instruments.

Shrove Tuesday culminates with the Canzoniere and the awarding of the Aragonese Banner to the winning Quadriglia.

The Carnival of Saviano (NA) begins on 17 January with the fucaroni bonfires and concludes on Shrove Tuesday with spectacular parades of thirteen allegorical floats and masked groups. Between popular traditions, theatrical processions, and irony, the town’s streets become a festive stage animated by the Contrade and a vibrant atmosphere throughout the carnival period.

The Acerra Carnival (NA) culminates on Shrove Tuesday with the chiagnuta ’e Vecienzo Carnevale, an intense funeral ritual symbolizing the death of Carnival.

Through ritual laments, folk songs, and tammurriate dances, the community reenacts ancient models of collective mourning and seasonal transition tied to the cycles of nature.

The Monterone Carnival in Forio d’Ischia (NA) celebrates tradition with a band that uses farming tools as musical instruments. The festival, featuring allegorical floats, contests, and masks, evokes the festive atmosphere of the 16th century and incorporates the tradition of the Carnevaletti—days of Eucharistic adoration as penance for excesses committed during Carnival.

The Pomigliano Popular Carnival (NA) is celebrated on Shrove Tuesday with theatrical performances inspired by rural life and the cycle of the seasons.

In farmsteads and historic courtyards, La Canzone di Zeza, The Ancient Trades, The Twelve Months, and ’O Chianto a Muorto come to life in a sequence of sung scenes, masks, and rituals that turn the town into a large popular stage.

The Carnival of Agropoli (SA), held in the heart of Cilento, is one of the region’s most anticipated events, attracting thousands of visitors each year.

With roots stretching back centuries, it is known for its spectacular allegorical floats—many made from recycled materials—that address social and cultural themes with irony. During the festivities, the town becomes an explosion of color and sound, with music, street performances, and folk dances.

In Salento (SA), the Quadriglia Carnival celebrates music and folk dance. The Quadriglia, a traditional 19th-century dance, lies at the heart of the event. Dancers in traditional costumes perform swirling steps that create an atmosphere of joy and lightheartedness. The carnival also features local cuisine, with traditional dishes prepared and shared during the celebrations.

The Carnival Farce of Don Annibale is a theatrical tradition dating back to the early 18th century in Eboli (SA).

Performed in a comic and ironic style, it recounts local stories centered on Don Annibale, whose wedding to Giulietta is initially opposed by her father, Zì Aniello, and later facilitated by a Doctor. Pulcinella’s appearance adds further folkloric humor, and the performance ends with a collective celebration of song and dance.

The Carnival of Trentinara (SA) evokes ancient rites linked to the cycle of nature. On Shrove Tuesday, traditional masks in improvised costumes parade through the town in an irreverent and liberating procession. The event ends with the burning of a straw effigy named Vavo, while devils perform acrobatics among the flames.

’A Maschkarata is the Ancient Rural Carnival of San Mauro Cilento (SA), celebrated on the last Sunday before Carnival and on Shrove Tuesday.

It is an itinerant theatrical performance inspired by the Commedia dell’Arte, which engages the audience through symbolic masks such as Prucinella and Cannulluvàro.

Amid satirical scenes, folk music, and the final ritual of the propitiatory fire, this 18th-century tradition still comes alive in the “piazza” scenes, in the local museum, and through craft workshops.

An ancient custom that, for the people of San Mauro, represents roots, identity, and belonging.

The traditional Carnival of Aquara (SA) is a propitiatory rural rite celebrating the passage from winter to spring. Through disguises and the reversal of social hierarchies, the symbolic marriage and the figure of Carnaluvaru invoke fertility and ward off disorder. The celebration concludes with the awarding of the “Golden Mask.”

The Carnival of the Poor takes place every Shrove Tuesday in the hamlet of Ariano, Olevano sul Tusciano (SA). A procession of masked figures riding donkeys sings verses personifying the twelve months of the year, celebrating the natural cycle.

The festivities end with the Funeral of Carnival, blending popular satire and ritual performance.

The Carnival of Cosentini, in Montecorice (SA), is celebrated on Shrove Tuesday with mask parades accompanied by cowbells and “onion trumpets.”

Through ironic verses, the Ballad of Zeza, tarantella dances, and the sharing of food and wine, the village experiences an intense day that concludes with the bonfire of Carnuluvaro, a spectacular rite marking the end of Carnival.