Festival delle Torri - International Festival of Music, Dance, Art, and Folklore

The Festival delle Torri: World folklore in Cava de' Tirreni

Every summer, between late July and early August, the historic center of Cava de' Tirreni, in the province of Salerno, becomes a crossroads of cultures. The Festival delle Torri — International Festival of Music, Dance, Art, and Folklore — was founded in 1988 by the Ente Sbandieratori Cavensi and is now one of the longest-running folk events in Campania. It is held under the patronage of CIOFF, the International Council of Organizations of Folklore Festivals and Folk Arts, an NGO and official partner of UNESCO: a recognition that places the Cava event within a global circuit of festivals dedicated to traditional arts.

An arcaded town that becomes a stage

The heart of the event is the arcaded Corso Umberto I, the elegant covered commercial axis that gives Cava de' Tirreni its unmistakable character. It is here that the delegation parades take place every evening: traditional costumes, folk instruments, flags, and drums wind through the arcades, accompanied by the public, until they reach Piazza Vittorio Emanuele III, where the main show is staged. Over the years, the festival has expanded its reach to the «David Sassoli» Urban Park, the Sanctuary of San Francesco e Sant'Antonio with its cloister, the San Giovanni Monumental Complex, and the city's outlying districts, also involving the Municipality of Vietri sul Mare for coastal evening events.

International delegations

The festival follows the classic formula of major European folk events: each edition hosts groups from different continents, showcasing the music, dances, costumes, and rituals of their homelands. Recent editions have featured ensembles from Armenia, Botswana, Venezuela, the United States, Georgia, Turkey, and Slovenia, always joined by the Italian hosts. These are not just performances: the delegations stay in the city, participate in official receptions at the Town Hall, exchange gifts, and enjoy moments of conviviality with the local population, in the spirit of intercultural exchange promoted by CIOFF.

The Sbandieratori Cavensi

The soul of the event is the Ente Sbandieratori Cavensi, the city's historic group of flag-wavers, musicians, and performers, who have organized the festival since 1988 together with the Permanent Committee for the Organization of the Festival delle Torri and with the support of the Municipality. The flag-wavers' performances — featuring waving, cross-tossing, and team choreography accompanied by clarions and drums — traditionally open and close the evenings, serving as a common thread between the guest cultures and local tradition.

A festival of peace

The Festival delle Torri is not just a showcase of performances. For years, the event has promoted an explicit message of peace, tolerance, and respect between peoples, in line with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This direction is reflected in the «A Tower for Peace» school competition, which involves local students, the «Time Capsule» buried in the Urban Park containing the winning works, and the «Tower of Peace» award, presented annually to an organization committed to social causes — in 2025, it was awarded to the Caritas Diocesana of Amalfi-Cava de' Tirreni.

Cava de' Tirreni and Vietri sul Mare

Attending the festival is also an excellent opportunity to discover a corner of Campania often passed through in a hurry. Cava de' Tirreni, nestled between the Lattari Mountains and the valley, preserves the only arcaded main street in the continental South, the historic Benedictine Abbey of the Santissima Trinità, and a dense network of hillside hamlets. A few kilometers away, Vietri sul Mare opens up to the Amalfi Coast with its famous ceramics and the Marina, which has hosted the festival's closing night in recent editions.

When and how to participate

The festival is held every year between late July and early August and spans four days. Parades and shows take place in public spaces in the city center: it is advisable to arrive early to find a spot along the parade route or in the square. The detailed program, with times and locations, is released by the organization in the days immediately preceding the event through the festival's social media channels and the Municipality of Cava de' Tirreni.