The Piedigrotta Festival returns to its original places of devotion and community life with "PIEDIGROTTA Viva 2026 – Quann'era Piererotta," artistic direction by Benedetto Casillo, six free-admission events from September 11 to 22 in Naples, Marano di Napoli, and Torre del Greco.
The initiative, supported by the Campania Region and Scabec under the ERDF Regional Programme 2021-2027, is part of the “PIEDIGROTTA Viva – Roots, Devotion and Innovation” project, dedicated to a festival listed in the Inventory of Intangible Cultural Heritage of Campania (IPIC).
Music and stories to keep memories alive
The heart of the festival is the dialogue between generations: traditional songs performed by Mario Maglione, Antonello Rondi, Francesco Malapena, Marianita Carfora, Francesca Marini, and the La Serenata Choir intertwine with the stories of Benedetto Casillo, Luciano Piccolo, Enza Barra, and Gennaro Morrone, accompanied by the guitar of maestros Franco Ponzo and Claudio Romano.
“Bringing these songs and stories to churches means keeping a memory alive and creating opportunities to be together: the elderly rediscover their own stories and pass them on to the younger ones,” explains Casillo, emphasizing how it is precisely in this transition that the tradition continues to live on.
The calendar of events
The festival opens on Friday, September 11th at 19:30 PM in the Church of Sant'Alfonso Maria de' Liguori in Marano di Napoli, with stories by Casillo and Luciano Piccolo and songs by Maglione and Rondi. It continues on Tuesday, September 15th at 19:30 PM in the Basilica of Santa Lucia a Mare in Naples (stories by Casillo and Enza Barra; songs by Maglione and Malapena) and on Wednesday, September 16th at 19:15 PM in the Church of Sant'Anna di Palazzo (stories by Casillo and Morrone; songs by Maglione and Rondi).
The concert will take place on Friday, September 18th, at 7:00 PM, at the Church of San Pasquale a Chiaia (stories by Casillo and Morrone; songs by Maglione and Carfora); on Sunday, September 20th, at 7:00 PM, at the Church of SS. Annunziata in Torre del Greco (Casillo, Morrone, Maglione, Malapena, Marini); and on Tuesday, September 22nd, at 8:00 PM, at the Church of Santo Strato in Posillipo (stories by Casillo and Morrone; songs by Maglione and Marini). The La Serenata Choir will participate in all the performances.
The documentary on RaiPlay and the July preview
The 2026 edition's itinerary was introduced on July 15th at the Filangieri Cinema with the premiere of the documentary film "Festa di Piedigrotta. The Origins, the Legend, the People, the Faith," directed by Ettore De Lorenzo and now available on RaiPlay. Produced by CONFORM and distributed by Rai Documentari, the film traces the history and religious, musical, and popular aspects of the festival, retracing its connection to the communities that preserve its memory.
Trianon Viviani: Viviani returns to the stage as a season prologue
In parallel, starting tonight, Tuesday, September 8th, at 9:00 PM, the Teatro Trianon Viviani will bring back Raffaele Viviani's "Festa di Piedigrotta," the prologue to the 2026-2027 program created by new artistic director Pierpaolo Sepe. Directed by Nello Mascia, with musical arrangements by Eugenio Bennato, the production features a 28-person ensemble cast, including Oscar Di Maio (fourth generation of one of Naples's leading theater families) as the provincial Mimì di Montemuro, along with Ciccio Merolla and Pietra Montecorvino.
A "popular festival" read as a metaphor for the present
Created in 1919 to recount the wounds and the urgency of life of a people emerging from a devastating war, the opera is presented here as a "popular festival in two acts" in which the celebration becomes a metaphor for memory and the present. Mascia's directorial interpretation creates a bridge between the "wounded, maimed, and disoriented" humanity of the post-war period and the anxieties of today, defined by Pope Francis as a "piecemeal world war": in the story, the people are both victims and executioners, in a system poised between reason and madness. Viviani's music, reworked by Bennato, recreates the festival's transgressive and anarchic atmosphere, giving voice to a contemporary Naples.
Dates, times and tickets at the Trianon
After its premiere on September 8th, "Festa di Piedigrotta" runs daily until September 13th: performances at 9 pm from Tuesday the 8th to Saturday the 12th, with a Sunday performance on Sunday the 13th at 21 pm. Tickets are available at the Trianon box office (Piazza Vincenzo Calenda 18, Naples), at participating advance ticket offices, and online at AzzurroService.net. For information, call 081 0128663.
Practical details about the 2026 Piedigrotta Festival
Here's some useful information for participating in the 2026 Piedigrotta Festival.
- Date: The festival will take place from September 11 to 22, 2026.
- Places: The events will be held in Naples, Marano di Napoli, and Torre del Greco.
- Entrance: All meetings are free to attend.
- Documentary film: The documentary 'Festa di Piedigrotta' is available on RaiPlay.
- Theater: The performance 'Festa di Piedigrotta' at the Trianon Theatre runs until September 13th.
