Amedeo D'Anna Smile Festival

A tradition of solidarity born in 2000

The Amedeo D'Anna Smile Festival is the most iconic event in the winter calendar of Sant'Arpino, a town in the Agro Atellano area in the province of Caserta, Campania. The event has been organized continuously since 2000 by the Pro Loco of Sant'Arpino and was born from an idea strongly championed by the then-president Amedeo D'Anna, to whose memory the festival is now dedicated.

The core concept is simple yet powerful: on the eve of the Epiphany, as the Christmas lights begin to fade, the community gathers around people with disabilities and their families for an evening of pure fun. It is not a charitable act, but a true celebration, with loud music, a full dance floor, and the microphone passing from hand to hand. Over the years, this gathering has taken on a moral, social, and civic significance that extends far beyond the town's borders.

How the evening unfolds

The program is not rigid; it is built around the participants, putting them at the center and inviting them to sing, dance, and play. The ingredients remain the same each year because they work:

• Music and dancing: the dance floor remains open all evening and is the heart of the festival;
• Karaoke: one of the most anticipated moments, with the audience taking turns at the microphone;
• Games and entertainment, managed by the Eventart staff, who host the evening;
• Convivial dining, with refreshments prepared by local volunteers and supporters.

There is no stage separating artists from spectators: here, everyone is a protagonist, which is precisely why the festival has continued to thrive for over twenty-five years.

Venues, from schools to the Mondo Libero Institute

Over time, the Smile Festival has changed locations several times, adapting to the spaces available in the town. The 25th edition, in January 2025, was held at the E. De Amicis elementary school; the 26th edition, in January 2026, was hosted by the Mondo Libero Institute, made available by the Mondo family. Those planning to attend should check the venue with the Pro Loco each year, as it may change.

A network of local associations

The festival is the result of a collective effort. Alongside the Pro Loco led by president Aldo Pezzella, the municipal administration, with Mayor Ernesto Di Mattia, and various associations of the Agro Atellano work together: Casa della Vita, Iride, U.A.L.S.I., and Federcasalinghe. This collaboration demonstrates how volunteering remains a crucial social infrastructure in this part of the Caserta province.

Sant'Arpino and the legacy of ancient Atella

Sant'Arpino rises in the area of ancient Atella, the Oscan city famous for the fabulae Atellanae, the popular farces that are the origin of the Commedia dell'Arte and the Pulcinella mask. This legacy is still very much alive: the Pro Loco, founded in 1984, manages the municipal Art Gallery, the Luigi Compagnone municipal Library, the City of Atella literary prize, the Atellano Carnival, and the Casatiello Festival. The Smile Festival fits into this cultural fabric as its most supportive chapter.

Why it is worth experiencing

In a Campanian calendar crowded with food festivals and patronal feasts, the Smile Festival occupies a rare space: it is an event of inclusion that chooses celebration rather than rhetoric to talk about disability. For those visiting the Agro Atellano in the first days of January, it represents an opportunity to see the most authentic face of the Sant'Arpino community—the one that mobilizes to ensure no one is left out.