Christmas in Taranto

Christmas in the City of the Two Seas

Christmas in Taranto is the extensive schedule of events through which the Municipality of Taranto, the capital of the homonymous province in Apulia, dresses the Ionian city in festive attire during the holiday season. Rather than a single event, it is a widespread program: shows, concerts, initiatives for families and children, markets, street entertainment, and acts of solidarity that simultaneously involve the city center and all neighborhoods, from the Borgo districts to the Old Town, from Paolo VI to Talsano, and from Tamburi to Salinella.

Lights, ice rink, and Christmas Village

The scenic heart of the event consists of light displays illuminating streets and squares, an ice skating rink, a Ferris wheel, and the Christmas Village, a meeting point for all ages featuring markets, stalls, rides, and entertainment activities. The switching on of the lights, often coinciding with the feast of Saint Cecilia, officially kicks off the celebrations and transforms Piazza della Vittoria and other city squares into a festive living room.

Concerts, parades, and folk traditions

The musical programming is among the densest in Southern Italy: traveling concerts by city bands, gospel choirs in churches, wind orchestras, performances by the Magna Grecia Orchestra at the Teatro Orfeo, and concerts in the squares of various districts. There is no shortage of Christmas parades marching through the neighborhoods, the descent of Santa Claus, bagpipers, living nativity scenes, and entertainment for the little ones, with magic shows and workshops dedicated to families.

A long and widespread Christmas

Thanks to its exceptional duration, running from late November to January 6th, the event has been dubbed "Italy's longest Christmas." This format spreads events over more than a month and a half, with the declared goal of leaving no neighborhood behind: every area of the city hosts at least one parade, concert, or festive moment. Admission to most events is free, reflecting a festival conceived as a gift to the local community and visitors.

Why experience it

• The longest and most widespread calendar of Christmas events in the Ionian Apulia
• Light displays, ice rink, Ferris wheel, and Christmas Village in the city center
• Dozens of free concerts in squares, churches, and theaters
• Parades, living nativity scenes, and entertainment in all of Taranto's neighborhoods

Strolling through Taranto under the lights, between the Mar Grande and Mar Piccolo, with the scent of Apulian Christmas specialties and music resonating from one district to another, is an experience that combines tradition, spectacle, and local identity.