Festa dell'Ottava

The festival that concludes the Settembre Eclanese

The Festa dell'Ottava is the final chapter of the Settembre Eclanese, the extensive calendar of events that brings Mirabella Eclano to life every year. Located in the province of Avellino, in the heart of Irpinia, Campania, the town celebrates this event eight days after the climax of the festivities in honor of Maria Santissima Addolorata—the famous Grande Tirata del Carro. It serves as a farewell to the month: a more intimate yet deeply felt celebration where the community gathers one last time.

The connection to the Carro of Mirabella Eclano

To understand the Festa dell'Ottava, one must start with the Carro, the town's most iconic symbol: a twenty-five-meter-tall obelisk built on a wooden frame, entirely covered in hand-woven straw by local artisans and topped with the statue of the Madonna Addolorata. The Carro is pulled through the streets on the Saturday before the third Sunday of September by six pairs of oxen and hundreds of people on ropes. It is a ritual of devotion and collective identity that draws tens of thousands of visitors annually. The Ottava, eight days later, is its natural religious and civil epilogue.

Two days of faith and conviviality

The traditional program of the Festa dell'Ottava spans a weekend and balances two complementary spirits:

• The gastronomic evening — on Saturday, Piazza Padre Pio becomes the heart of the festival, with food and beverage stalls offering Irpinian specialties in a lively atmosphere of tables, music, and strolling crowds.
• The Sunday of religious rites — liturgical celebrations and the solemn procession wind through the historic center, accompanied by a marching band, a musical tradition that is an integral part of patronal festivals in Southern Italy.
• The fireworks display — closing the day and the entire Settembre Eclanese, the fireworks are a highly anticipated moment that brings both residents and visitors out into the streets.

The context: the Settembre Eclanese

The Festa dell'Ottava cannot be understood in isolation: it is the final piece of a calendar in Mirabella Eclano that stretches for weeks, from late August to the end of September. In recent years, it has combined food festivals dedicated to local products, musical evenings, exhibitions in the historic center, and cultural appointments. It is a full month where the town lives outdoors, and the religious and civil dimensions proceed side by side.

Why it's worth the trip

Visitors will find an authentic festival here, not one manufactured for tourism: the participation is that of a community deeply rooted in its own rituals. Beyond the event, there is a territory to discover—Mirabella Eclano stands next to the archaeological site of ancient Aeclanum, a Samnite and later Roman city along the Appian Way. It is also located in the heart of a wine-growing region, just a few kilometers from the lands of Aglianico del Taurasi and Greco di Tufo. It is a stop that combines archaeology, food and wine, and popular tradition in one of the most characteristic inland areas of Campania.