Festival of Maria Santissima dell'Abbondanza
Six days of faith, Apulian brass bands, and fireworks in Marzano di Nola
About Abbondanza Festival
A devotion rooted in the 18th century
The Festival of Maria Santissima dell'Abbondanza is the most anticipated event in Marzano di Nola, a small town in the province of Avellino overlooking the Nola plain, where Irpinia fades into the Vesuvius area of Campania. Local tradition links the cult to the healing of a noblewoman, Mariantonia D. Cosmano, who fell gravely ill while passing through the town; from that episode, popular veneration for the image of the Virgin was born. The foundational moment of the solemn festival, however, is the coronation of July 28, 1778, which took place by the will of Pope Pius VI in the presence of the Bishop of Nola. Since then, the community has never stopped renewing the appointment.
When it takes place
The festivities fall every year around the last Sunday of July and span six full days, preceded by the novena and, according to the oldest custom, by a preparation that begins forty days earlier with the Lenten period. In 2026, the festival will be held from July 24 to 29, with the novena from July 17 to 24 and a week of lead-up evenings.
The religious heart
The sacred program is marked by rites that have been repeated almost identically for generations and that constitute the very identity of the town:
- The Holy Staircase, at dawn on Saturday: at four in the morning, the faithful climb the steps of the Sanctuary accompanied by hymns, in one of the most intense moments of the entire festival.
- The transfer procession, which accompanies the statue of the Madonna from the Sanctuary to the Parish Church of San Trifone Martire.
- The dressing and undressing of the statue, intimate gestures closely followed by the community.
- The pilgrimage to the three points of the town, with the traditional panegyric and the welcome of pilgrims arriving from neighboring towns.
- The torchlight procession, which closes the festivities by returning the Virgin to her Sanctuary.
Devotees dressed in red and blue parade in the processions to ask for a grace or to give thanks for one received, together with parish groups and the confraternity. It is a popular liturgy that in Marzano di Nola has nothing folkloric in a tourist sense: it is the way the town tells its own story.
Bands, concerts, and square shows
Alongside the religious program runs the civil one, organized by the Maria SS. dell'Abbondanza Festival Committee. Piazza Marconi and the streets decorated with illuminations host music and entertainment every evening. The highlight is the grand brass band concerts, entrusted to the great touring bands from Apulia: in 2026, the Città di Francavilla Fontana, Città di Gioia del Colle, and Città di Mottola bands will take the stage. Alongside them, there is room for lighter evenings with impersonation shows and tribute bands. It is a formula that brings together the sophisticated repertoire of the southern band tradition and the distinctly Campanian taste for square festivals.
The midnight fireworks
As in every great patronal festival in Campania, the finale is entrusted to the fireworks, fired at midnight on the last day. It is the moment when the square truly fills up and when the success of the entire edition is measured, amidst applause and comments from connoisseurs.
The town and its Sanctuary
Marzano di Nola has just over two thousand inhabitants, but during the festival days, the population multiplies: pilgrims and visitors arrive from the surrounding towns, between Nola, Baiano, and the Clanio valley. Stalls, stands of typical Irpinian products, and food stands line up around the Sanctuary on Via Nazionale, while illuminations transform the town center. Those arriving for the first time find a dual face: the intimate and ancient one of the dawn celebrations, and the exuberant one of the evenings in Piazza Marconi.
Why it is worth the trip
The Festival of Maria Santissima dell'Abbondanza is one of the best-preserved examples of a Campanian patronal festival: six days in which ritual, music, and pyrotechnics compose a single story. For those visiting Irpinia at the end of July, it is an opportunity to see a tradition that is still alive, free, and open to all, just a few kilometers from Nola and Mount Vesuvius.
Abbondanza Festival — edition 2026
Six days of celebration from July 24 to 29, 2026
The 2026 calendar confirms the traditional structure of the Marzano festival, spread over six days and preceded by a long preparation phase. The novena is held from July 17 to 24, every evening at 8:00 PM, led by Father Francesco Iannone; in parallel, from July 17 to 22, the "Waiting for the Festival" evenings — dedicated to the memory of Gaetano Vecchione — bring live music, shows, and karaoke to the town.
Moments not to be missed
On July 23, the ancient festival at the Sanctuary, with bell ringing and a buffet, effectively opens the festivities; on July 24, the lighting of the illuminations marks the official start. Saturday, July 25 is the most intense day: the Holy Staircase at 4 AM, the 6 AM Mass, the evening procession from the Sanctuary to the Parish Church, and the solemn Mass presided over by Bishop Monsignor Francesco Marino.
The musical part
On the civil side, the "Tale e Quale Show" on July 25, the "Jova Live" concert (a Jovanotti tribute band) on Sunday the 26th, and the two grand brass band concerts on July 27 and 28, entrusted to the Città di Francavilla Fontana, Città di Gioia del Colle, and Città di Mottola bands, stand out.
The grand finale
On Wednesday, July 29, the final day combines Mass with the anointing of the sick, the 7:30 PM celebration, the evocative torchlight procession that returns the statue to the Sanctuary, the 10:00 PM musical show, and the midnight fireworks. All events have free admission.
Programme Abbondanza Festival 2026
Novena — from July 17 to 24
Every evening at 8:00 PM, novena led by Father Francesco Iannone.
"Waiting for the Festival" — from July 17 to 22
Entertainment evenings in memory of Gaetano Vecchione: live music, shows, and karaoke.
Thursday, July 23
- 9:00 PM — Ancient festival at the Sanctuary: bell ringing and buffet.
Friday, July 24
- 9:30 PM — Lighting of the illuminations.
Saturday, July 25
- 4:00 AM — Holy Staircase at the Sanctuary.
- 6:00 AM — Holy Mass.
- 7:00 PM — Procession of the Madonna statue from the Sanctuary to the Parish Church.
- 8:30 PM — Solemn Mass presided over by Bishop Monsignor Francesco Marino.
- In the evening — "Tale e Quale Show".
Sunday, July 26
- Morning — Dressing of the statue.
- 11:30 AM — Solemn Mass with Father Jean Claude Nduwamungu.
- In the evening — "Jova Live" concert, Jovanotti tribute band.
Monday, July 27
- 7:00 PM — Traditional procession with the statue through the town streets.
- In the evening — Holy Mass celebrated by Father Vincenzo Romano.
- Grand brass band concert: "Città di Francavilla Fontana" and "Città di Gioia del Colle".
Tuesday, July 28
- Pilgrimage and processions to the three points of the town, with the traditional panegyric.
- In the evening — Rosary and undressing of the statue.
- Grand brass band concert: "Città di Mottola" and "Città di Gioia del Colle".
Wednesday, July 29
- Morning — Holy Mass and anointing of the sick.
- 7:30 PM — Concluding Mass.
- In the evening — Torchlight procession with the return of the statue to the Sanctuary.
- 10:00 PM — Musical show.
- Midnight — Fireworks.
Highlights Abbondanza Festival 2026
Prices Abbondanza Festival 2026
Practical information — Abbondanza Festival
Where
The celebrations take place between the Sanctuary of Maria SS. dell'Abbondanza (Via Nazionale) and the Parish Church of San Trifone Martire, while the evening shows are held in Piazza Marconi, in Marzano di Nola (83020), province of Avellino.
How to get there
By car: Nola exit on the A16 Naples-Canosa motorway, then SS403 towards Baiano; the town is also easily reached from Nola and San Paolo Bel Sito. By train: Nola station on the EAV-Circumvesuviana network, then bus or taxi. The nearest airport is Naples-Capodichino, about thirty kilometers away.
Admission and costs
All religious and civil events are free and outdoors: there is no ticket for the concerts in the square.
Practical tips
During the main days, the center is closed to traffic for the processions: it is advisable to park in the peripheral areas and continue on foot. For the grand brass band concerts, it is better to arrive early if you want a seat in front of the bandstand. The Saturday Holy Staircase begins at four in the morning: those who want to attend must organize in advance. A small flashlight is useful for the torchlight procession.
Contacts
Maria SS. dell'Abbondanza Festival Committee — tel. +39 081 8255303, e-mail [email protected]. Program updates on the Festival Committee's Instagram profile.
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Where does it take place — Abbondanza Festival
Santuario di Maria SS. dell'Abbondanza e Piazza Marconi
Via Nazionale, 83020 Marzano di Nola