Cisterna Carnival

A neighborhood festival in the heart of Irpinia

The Cisterna Carnival is the carnival celebration of the Cisterna district, one of the residential areas of Santa Lucia di Serino, a town of just over 1,300 inhabitants in the province of Avellino, Campania. The stage is Piazza San Giuseppe Moscati, the central square that transforms for an afternoon into a bustling village gathering place, filled with music, confetti, and the aroma of fried treats.

This is not a manufactured tourist event, but a grassroots celebration: it is promoted by the Santa Lucia and San Rocco Festival Committee, the same group of volunteers who organize local devotional events and neighborhood initiatives throughout the year, alongside the Cuore Amico Association. The same committee also organizes Christmas in Cisterna, the district's winter event: two pillars of a calendar that keeps the community spirit of the village alive.

The first edition: February 22, 2025

The event debuted on Saturday, February 22, 2025, and immediately established a recognizable format. At 12:00 PM, the food and wine stalls opened, featuring specialties of Irpinian cuisine; from 2:00 PM, the parades began, with allegorical floats, colorful costumes, and musical processions winding through the square and the streets of the district.

Folk groups of the Sabato Valley

The most distinctive feature of the event is the presence of groups and associations arriving from various towns in Irpinia, in a form of twinning between village carnivals typical of this area. The first edition featured:

• Mabi, from San Biagio di Serino
• Rivus, from Rivottoli di Serino
• Iris, from Montoro
• the Montemarano Carnival, one of the most famous and ancient in Campania, with its traditional tarantella
• the Volturara Carnival (Volturara Irpina)

The presence of these groups ensures that different styles, masks, and rhythms coexist in a single square: from the overwhelming pace of the Montemarano tarantella to the traditional peasant masquerades of the Serino hamlets.

Gastronomy and fun for children

Alongside the parades, the food stalls offer local products, in a territory known for its cherries and chestnuts. For the little ones, there are inflatable play areas, popcorn, and entertainment: the festival is expressly designed for families, and the afternoon schedule makes it suitable even for young children.

Not to be confused with the Luciano Carnival

Two distinct events coexist in Santa Lucia di Serino. The Luciano Carnival is the town's historic event, promoted by the Pro Loco, featuring a masked parade through the town center accompanied by a folk brass band and the traditional performance of Misi e l'Anno. The Cisterna Carnival, on the other hand, is the younger festival, specifically linked to the district and its committee. Visitors to the town during the Carnival period may, in some years, find both events taking place just a few days apart.

Santa Lucia di Serino, the town of Saint Giuseppe Moscati

Nestled at an altitude of about 380 meters in the upper valley of the Sabato river, the town of Santa Lucia di Serino is linked to the figure of Saint Giuseppe Moscati, the Neapolitan doctor proclaimed a saint, whose family has been documented in this territory for centuries: the square that hosts the festival is named after him, and the Moscati House Museum can be visited in the village. This setting makes the Carnival day an opportunity to discover an authentic corner of Irpinia, far from the beaten path.

When it takes place

The event falls during the Carnival period, usually between late February and early March, depending on the liturgical calendar of the year. Dates are announced by the organizing committee a few weeks in advance through local channels and the Avellino Province events portal.