Carnival – Allegorical Float Parade

The Gravina in Puglia Carnival

In the heart of the Alta Murgia, the Gravina in Puglia Carnival is one of the most cherished folk festivals in the Metropolitan City of Bari. Its highlight is the Allegorical Float Parade, which reached its fifteenth edition in 2026, transforming the historic center every February into a procession of colors, music, and masks. Unlike the large Puglian carnivals of Putignano or Manfredonia, the Gravina event retains a deeply communal character: the floats are not built by professional papier-mâché artists, but through the volunteer work of local parishes, which compete for weeks to perfect their displays.

The parish floats

The heart of the festival is the friendly competition between the districts and parish communities of Gravina. Each parish designs and builds its own float around a specific theme, accompanied by masked groups, the Murgia Majorettes, and bands that set the pace for the procession. The 2026 edition chose the theme Cartoons 2.0, aiming to bridge tradition and new generations by pairing contemporary pop-culture characters with traditional Gravina masks.

A community ritual

The parade winds through the city's main arteries—from Via Spinazzola to Corso Aldo Moro and Via Garibaldi—accompanied by confetti, streamers, and seasonal sweets. The Gravina Carnival is more than just a show: it is a moment of gathering that involves both young and old, concluding with the grand finale and the famous trial of Giovanni Carnevale, a theatrical performance that symbolically marks the end of the festivities and the beginning of Lent.

Between the sacred and the profane

The carnival tradition in Gravina is rooted in the peasant and religious culture of Puglia. Alongside the float parade, the city also reenacts the funeral of Giuann Carnevale, an ancient folk ritual organized by local associations, which accompanies the Carnival effigy on its final procession. Together, these events tell the story of a community that knows how to unite faith, memory, and a love for celebration under the Murgia sky.