Casali in Blues

Blues in the heart of the Valle Caudina

Casali in Blues is the event that brings blues music to San Martino Valle Caudina, a town of just under five thousand inhabitants in the province of Avellino, in the heart of Campania. The festival takes place in the second half of August, when the town, nestled at the foot of the Partenio massif, experiences its most intense social period: evenings grow longer, squares and streets fill up, and live music becomes the most natural way to spend time together.

A key part of the "Illumina la notte" program

The event did not emerge in isolation. It is part of "Illumina la notte", the summer program promoted by the Municipality of San Martino Valle Caudina together with numerous local associations, which fills the town's calendar throughout August with historical pageants, processions, sporting initiatives, film screenings, cultural meetings, and concerts. Within this mosaic of events, Casali in Blues represents the most explicitly musical interlude, where the town embraces a genre with a universal language, capable of speaking to enthusiasts and casual passersby alike.

What to expect

Like many festivals in small Irpinian towns, Casali in Blues makes its intimate scale its greatest strength. Attendees can typically expect:

• evening open-air concerts, spread over two consecutive days in August;
• an intimate stage, where the distance between musicians and the audience is minimal, keeping the listening experience informal;
• the participation of local associations, who manage hospitality, setups, and social gatherings;
• a mixed audience of families, young people, and vacationers, including locals returning for their summer holidays.

The 2025 edition

The last documented edition took place on August 20 and 21, 2025, as part of the "Illumina la notte" program, which animated San Martino Valle Caudina from August 4 to 31 that year. The two blues nights were held during a particularly busy week, immediately following the Castellana re-enactment and historical pageant on August 11 and 12, and just before the Regina della pace feast at the end of the month: a schedule that perfectly illustrates the logic of the local summer, where religious tradition, historical memory, and contemporary music coexist in the same calendar.

San Martino Valle Caudina: the setting

The town sits at an altitude of about 315 meters, along the historic route connecting Irpinia to Sannio and the Naples area. The historic center preserves its ancient layout and the Palazzo Ducale, which hosts various municipal events throughout the summer. Visitors arriving for the festival can combine their evening listening with a stroll through the alleys, hikes on the trails of the Partenio Regional Park, and local dining, where the Valle Caudina offers its typical products and a mountain-style cuisine still deeply tied to the seasons.

Looking ahead to the 2026 edition

As of the writing of this guide, the official dates for the 2026 edition have not yet been released, nor has a program with the artist lineup been published. The reference remains the mid-to-late August window, consistent with previous editions and the release of the "Illumina la notte" program, which is usually presented at the beginning of the month. It is advisable to follow the channels of the Municipality of San Martino Valle Caudina and local associations to learn the dates, times, and lineup as soon as they are announced.