Buonalbergo Carnival

The Buonalbergo Carnival

In Buonalbergo, Carnival isn't measured by monumental floats or miles-long processions: it is a community celebration that fills Piazza Garibaldi, the town's open-air living room, with confetti and laughter for an afternoon. This small town in the Province of Benevento, in Campania, entrusts the event to its local Pro Loco, which designs a program tailored to the children and families of the village and surrounding areas.

It is the kind of festival that perfectly captures the soul of the Sannio villages: no ticket offices, no distant stages, just a town square that becomes a shared playground where adults accompany the little ones and residents reconnect after the coldest months of the year.

An afternoon in Piazza Garibaldi

The event kicks off in the early afternoon, as the square fills with masks. The heart of the day is the cartoon character parade—featuring Mickey Mouse, Minnie, Catboy, and Bing in the 2026 edition—who mingle with the children for photos, hugs, and entertainment. Surrounding this are various activities: a creative workshop where everyone can build their own mask, a baby area with seating dedicated to the youngest guests, and a photo booth set up with Disney characters.

The day concludes with the award ceremony for the most original mask, the most anticipated moment: it is not the cost of the outfit that counts, but the inventiveness of the creator. In case of rain, activities are not cancelled but moved indoors to the former clinic that houses the Pro Loco headquarters.

Organized by: Pro Loco Buonalbergo APS

Behind the Carnival is the Pro Loco Buonalbergo APS, founded in 1974 and considered the oldest and longest-running association in the area. Its office is located in the town center, just a few steps from Palazzo Coscia-Spinelli, and is fully accessible.

The association's activities span the entire year and go far beyond Carnival:

• Sagra de lo Ciammarruchiello, the town's signature event held in August in Piazza Garibaldi, recognized as a high-quality food festival;
• EtnoFestival «Musiche dal Mondo», a music festival hosted at Cascina Panari;
• concerts, theater, exhibitions, and conferences;
• promotion of local products and folklore.

The Carnival is therefore one piece of a continuous cultural effort, which the Pro Loco summarizes in the hashtag used to tell the town's story: #BuonalbergodaScoprire.

Carnival in Sannio

The Buonalbergo festival is part of the grand UNPLI Benevento Pro Loco Carnival, a coordinated calendar that in 2026 brought together about twenty local associations between February 7th and 22nd, from the Fortore to the Valle Caudina, from the Tammaro to the Titerno, and up to the provincial capital. A program that combines parades, masquerade parties, traditional dances like the quadrille, and musical events.

As UNPLI Benevento president Renzo Mazzeo recalled, this initiative aims to be an «authentic expression of our communities, their history, creativity, and collaborative spirit», in the service of sustainable cultural tourism. For those visiting Sannio in February, it is the most direct way to step into the real life of these towns: you can travel from one village to another and find a different celebration in each one.

Why attend

• A child-friendly Carnival with workshops, entertainment, and a mask competition.
• A historic square as a stage, in the center of a village in the Province of Benevento.
• The chance to discover Buonalbergo off-season, during a celebration experienced by locals rather than staged for tourists.
• A piece of the wider Sannio carnival circuit, easy to combine with other nearby town festivals during the same period.