Feriolo Carnival

The Carnival of the Feriolo district

The Feriolo Carnival is one of the most cherished local festivals in Feriolo, a small lakeside village in the municipality of Baveno, in the province of Verbano-Cusio-Ossola, in the heart of the Italian Lake District. Overlooking Lake Maggiore, Feriolo maintains a strong identity and a close-knit community that gathers every year during the Carnival season for a day of celebration, conviviality, and traditional flavors.

The culinary tradition of the Bocc

The heart of the event is the gastronomic distribution held at noon at the Bocc event area, the same venue that hosts the famous summer Bocc Festival. The stars of the menu are traditional local dishes: salamini (small sausages), pork rinds with lentils, and stewed beans, served strictly as takeaway. It is an essential and hearty menu that reflects the rustic, family-style cooking of the area, drawing in residents, curious visitors, and tourists every year.

A community celebration

More than just a show, the Feriolo Carnival is a collective ritual: the festival is organized by the Feriolo Festival Committee, an association of volunteers who bring life to the district and manage everything from welcoming guests to preparing the food and setting up the venue. The food distribution creates that warm, informal atmosphere typical of Italian village festivals, where the culinary experience becomes an opportunity for connection and belonging.

Carnival in Baveno and Feriolo

The Feriolo event is part of the wider Baveno Carnival, which also enlivens the town center in Piazza Marinai d'Italia with live music from the local marching band, food stalls, children's entertainment, and performances. Experiencing the Feriolo Carnival means discovering an authentic corner of Lake Maggiore, far from mass tourism, and being won over by the warmth of a small community that makes food and tradition its hallmark.