Bronte Carnival

The Bronte Carnival: Between Etna and Tradition

In the heart of Sicily, at the foot of Mount Etna in the province of Catania, the Bronte Carnival is one of the most beloved events for the Bronte community. For one day, the historic center transforms into a massive open-air stage: over 600 participants, organized into a dozen costumed groups, parade through the city streets amidst allegorical floats, vibrant costumes, music, and entertainment.

The Tradition of the 'Laddatori'

The most characteristic mask of the Bronte Carnival is that of the Laddatori (or Laddarori), representing the town's poorest social classes: the charcoal burners who lived on the slopes of Mount Etna. Legend has it that on Shrove Thursday (the giovedì laddaroru), the poorest youths and adults would roam the alleys of Bronte with faces smeared in soot and coal, armed with skewers, demanding food from wealthier families under the playful threat of skewering them. Even today, some groups revive this figure, keeping a piece of Bronte's popular identity alive.

A Festival of Color and Satire

The modern Bronte Carnival features a parade of allegorical floats and costumed groups along Corso Umberto, starting from the central Piazza Castiglione. Each group spends months preparing their costumes, choreography, and music, sparking a healthy competition: at the end of the parades, a jury awards the most successful groups. There is no shortage of satire, irony, and that distinctly Sicilian flair for street festivals.

Bronte, the City of Pistachios

Known worldwide for its prized Bronte Pistachio PDO, this town on the slopes of Etna offers visitors not only the carnival festivities but also a unique culinary heritage. The traditional Bronte Carnival menu featured rich, communal dishes: mixed meat broth with thin noodles on Sunday, pasta with sardines on Monday, and maccarruni pasta with meat sauce followed by the essential Sicilian cannoli on Shrove Tuesday.

• Parade of costumed groups and allegorical floats in the historic center
• Over 600 participants in a dozen competing groups
• Music and entertainment in Piazza Rosario
• Final awards ceremony for the groups in Piazza Spedalieri