Castelfolk Festival

A village festival that has become a summer staple

Founded in 2001 as a community initiative, the Castelfolk Festival is now one of the most anticipated events of the summer in Castellano, a small village of about 650 inhabitants in the municipality of Villa Lagarina, in Vallagarina, in the Autonomous Province of Trento (Trentino-Alto Adige). Having grown year after year thanks to the work of the volunteers of the Castelfolk APS association, the festival is a social, cultural, gastronomic, and tourist event that combines music, entertainment, nature, and tradition in one of the most picturesque settings in the valley.

Where: the Parco delle Leggende at the foot of the castle

The heart of the festival is the Parco delle Leggende, the green area that stretches at the foot of Castel Castellano, at Viale Lodron 1. The stage, exhibitions, food stalls, and spaces for children are nestled in the woods, with the castle serving as a natural backdrop. It is a setup designed for families and those seeking an intimate atmosphere, far from mass tourism, in one of the quietest villages in the Trentino mountains.

What to experience at Castelfolk

The festival's formula mixes different genres and audiences over several days:

• Concerts featuring folk, folk-rock, and rock groups, local bands, and special guests, with free-entry evenings;
• Exhibitions set up in the park (ranging from pencil and charcoal drawings to string instruments) and conferences and discussion meetings;
• Outdoor activities: e-bike excursions, nordic walking sessions with instructors, climbing, and activities for children and teenagers;
• Creative workshops, family shows, and entertainment moments;
• Trentino gastronomy, from polenta concia to traditional dishes, accompanied by local wines from the Feudo di Castel Bazom.

A guest region every year

A distinctive feature of Castelfolk is the guest region: each edition highlights the popular traditions, folk groups, and flavors of a different Italian region (over the years, Liguria, Puglia, Veneto, Piedmont, Abruzzo, Lombardy, and Umbria have been featured). It is a way to bring the folklore of Italy to Castellano, complete with parades, flag-wavers, music, and traditional dishes.

Sustainability and community spirit

The festival has made environmental sustainability a core identity choice, using ceramic tableware and reusable materials, and remains deeply rooted in volunteerism: it is the volunteers, as the association says, who are the "soul of the festival." Admission is free on all days, confirming the popular and inclusive vocation of the event, which every summer draws visitors to Castellano from all over Vallagarina and beyond.