Carrista Festival

The Carrista Festival: A preview of the Sant'Antuono Floats

The Carrista Festival is the event that officially kicks off the long journey toward the Sant'Antuono Float Feast in Macerata Campania (Caserta province, Campania) every January. Established in 2024, the festival takes place in the town's market area in Piazza Francesco II di Borbone, transforming the square for one evening into an open-air showcase for the allegorical floats and their creators.

A celebration dedicated to the float-builders

The festival was created with a clear goal: to pay tribute to the master float-builders—the artisans and volunteers who spend months in local workshops crafting massive, intricate structures that are true collective works of art. The heart of the evening is the preview presentation of the floats built for the January feast: an opportunity, organizers explain, to "celebrate artisanal talent and pass down to new generations a craft that blends technique, passion, and a sense of belonging."

What to expect during the evening

The program, now well-established, consists of a few key elements:

• The exhibition of the teams registered for the following year's Float Feast, with the newly finished floats displayed side by side;
• The float-builder's workshop, where creators share the materials, techniques, and stories behind each float;
• Traditional games designed for children and families;
• Live music and performances, featuring the unmistakable sound of the local bottari;
• The official presentation of the program for the January Sant'Antuono Float Feast;
• Food stalls serving past'e'llessa and other local delicacies.

Bottari, pastellessa bands, and floats: the context

To understand the Carrista Festival, one must know the tradition behind it. In Macerata Campania, every January 17th, devotion to Saint Anthony the Abbot—known locally as Sant'Antuono—is expressed through battuglie di pastellessa: large groups of percussionists of all ages who play barrels, tubs, and scythes, creating a rhythmic polyphony considered one of the oldest in Europe to have survived intact. The bands parade on massive boat-shaped floats, decorated with palm leaves that recall the saint's Egyptian origins. According to oral tradition, the feast dates back to the 13th century.

The signature dish is past'e'llessa (pasta with boiled chestnuts), recognized in 2011 as one of the 150 traditional Italian dishes; in 2012, the town officially earned the title of «Town of Pastellessa». In a town of about ten thousand inhabitants, there are over a thousand active 'bottari': a density of percussionists that is truly unique.

Past editions

The first edition took place on Sunday, December 1, 2024, in the market area, featuring local tastings and the music of the local 'bottari' ahead of the January 2025 Float Feast. The second edition was held on Saturday, November 15, 2025, showcasing twenty floats and their respective teams registered for the 2026 Sant'Antuono Float Feast, which was then celebrated from January 10 to 18, 2026.

Why it's worth attending

The Carrista Festival is the best way to see the floats up close and at a leisurely pace, before the January crowds fill the streets. It is a deeply communal, free-entry event that is perfect for families—an evening where, amidst lights, music, and food, you can understand why building a float in Macerata Campania is not just a job, but an identity.