La Notte della Tammorra
The great festival of Campanian folk music that closes the summer in Naples at Rotonda Diaz
About Notte della Tammorra
A folk festival marking the end of the Neapolitan summer
La Notte della Tammorra has become a permanent fixture in the cultural calendar of the City of Naples. For over twenty years, it has brought together frame drum players, singers, and dancers from the folk traditions of Campania in one grand celebration. Conceived and directed by musician and composer Carlo Faiello, the festival is produced by the Fondazione Il Canto di Virgilio as part of the "Naples City of Music" project and is included in the Estate a Napoli (Summer in Naples) program, which in 2026 runs from July 2 to October 8 with over eighty events throughout the city.
The 2026 edition at Rotonda Diaz
The twenty-fourth edition takes place on Friday, September 11, and Saturday, September 12, 2026, at Rotonda Diaz, on the Via Francesco Caracciolo waterfront in the Chiaia district: an open-air space overlooking the gulf that transforms into a massive folk stage for two nights. Both concerts begin at 8:30 PM and serve as the grand finale of the city's summer season.
- Friday, September 11 — "The Night of the Drums of Naples": a journey dedicated to drums, rhythm, and the city's percussive vocation, where Campanian folk music engages with contemporary compositions.
- Saturday, September 12 — "Tribute to Roberto De Simone: Tradition in Campania", dedicated to the Neapolitan composer, musicologist, and director who, more than anyone else, studied and returned the region's folk musical heritage to the public.
Artists and Paranze
The cast assembled by Carlo Faiello brings together well-known faces of the Neapolitan scene and traditional groups. Announced names include Lina Sastri, Tony Esposito, Ciccio Merolla, Flo, Irene Scarpato, Fiorenza Calogero, Maurizio Capone, Ars Nova Napoli, Simona Boo, Marianita Carfora, Tony Cercola, Lavinia Mancusi, Greg Rega, and Gennaro Tesone of Almamegretta, alongside the La Notte della Tammorra Popular Orchestra.
Joining them on stage are the paranze (traditional ensembles) and groups that preserve local repertoires: the Tarantella di Montemarano, the Tarantella del Gargano, the Paranza di Febbraio from Giugliano, the Paranza di Terzigno, the Paranza dei Monti Lattari, the Tammurriata dell'Agro Nocerino-Sarnese, the Tammurriata Paganese, the Discede from Maiori, and Canto Libero from Pozzuoli, featuring soloists such as Biagio De Prisco and Vincenzo Romano.
Frame drum and folk dance workshops
The festival is more than just a performance: six days of workshops are dedicated to folk dances and frame drums. These are held from September 7 to 10 at the Fondazione Il Canto di Virgilio headquarters, and on September 11 and 12 at Rotonda Diaz, from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, just before the concerts. It is a unique opportunity to learn the steps of the tammurriata and the technique of the tammorra under the guidance of traditional masters.
The tammorra, an identity instrument of Campania
The tammorra is the large frame drum that has accompanied religious and peasant festivals in the Vesuvius area, the Agro Nocerino, the Sorrento Peninsula, and the Monti Lattari for centuries. Its rhythm marks the tammurriata, a couple's song and dance that survives in Marian pilgrimages and village feasts. Bringing this repertoire to the Naples waterfront means returning to the city a heritage that originates in the provincial towns and continues to be practiced by living communities, rather than mere folkloric groups.
An event for everyone
The audience for La Notte della Tammorra is diverse: families, young people, world music fans, and tourists discovering a sonic ritual far removed from the postcard image of classic Neapolitan songs. Those who arrive early find seats on the steps and the square of Rotonda Diaz; those who stay until the end almost always witness the most anticipated moment, when all the paranze and the orchestra gather on stage and the audience dances to the same rhythm.
Notte della Tammorra — edition 2026
The 2026 edition, the twenty-fourth, marks the grand finale of Estate a Napoli and moves the festival to the waterfront, at the Rotonda Diaz on Via Francesco Caracciolo, in the Chiaia district. Two consecutive evenings, Friday, September 11, and Saturday, September 12, starting at 8:30 PM.
The first evening, "The Night of the Drums of Naples", is a journey dedicated to the rhythm and percussive vocation of the city; the second pays tribute to Roberto De Simone with "Tradition in Campania". The artistic direction is entrusted, as always, to Carlo Faiello, with production by the Fondazione Il Canto di Virgilio as part of "Naples City of Music", on the initiative of the City of Naples.
Before the concerts, from September 7 to 10 at the Foundation's headquarters and on September 11 and 12 at Rotonda Diaz, workshops on folk dances and frame drums will be held from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM.
Programme Notte della Tammorra 2026
Workshops — September 7 to 12, 2026, 5:00 PM-7:00 PM
- September 7-10 — Fondazione Il Canto di Virgilio headquarters: folk dance and frame drum workshops.
- September 11-12 — Rotonda Diaz: final workshops, immediately before the concerts.
Friday, September 11, 2026, 8:30 PM — Rotonda Diaz
«The Night of the Drums of Naples» — a journey dedicated to the drums, rhythm, and extraordinary percussive vocation of Naples, blending Campanian folk music with contemporary languages. Featuring Carlo Faiello, Tony Esposito, Ciccio Merolla, Flo, Fiorenza Calogero, Marianita Carfora, Maurizio Capone, Tony Cercola, Gennaro Tesone of Almamegretta, along with Biagio De Prisco - The Voice of Tradition, the Paranza dei Monti Lattari, and the La Notte della Tammorra Ensemble.
Saturday, September 12, 2026, 8:30 PM — Rotonda Diaz
«Tribute to Roberto De Simone: Tradition in Campania» — the second evening is dedicated to the Neapolitan composer and musicologist and the regional traditional repertoires, with Lina Sastri, Ars Nova Napoli, Irene Scarpato, Simona Boo, and Lavinia Mancusi, together with the Paranza di Giugliano di Febbraio, the Paranza 'O Lione, the Paranza di Terzigno, the Tarantella di Montemarano, and the Tarantella Cilentana.
Artists and groups announced for the 2026 edition
- Lina Sastri, Carlo Faiello, Tony Esposito, Ciccio Merolla, Flo, Irene Scarpato, Fiorenza Calogero, Maurizio Capone, Ars Nova Napoli, Simona Boo, Marianita Carfora, Tony Cercola, Lavinia Mancusi, Greg Rega, Gennaro Tesone (Almamegretta).
- La Notte della Tammorra Popular Orchestra.
- Traditional paranze and groups: Paranza di Febbraio (Giugliano), Paranza di Terzigno, Paranza dei Monti Lattari, Tarantella di Montemarano, Tarantella del Gargano, Tammurriata dell'Agro Nocerino-Sarnese, Tammurriata Paganese, Discede (Maiori), Canto Libero (Pozzuoli).
- Traditional soloists: Biagio De Prisco, Vincenzo Romano.
Highlights Notte della Tammorra 2026
- 24th edition and grand finale of Estate a Napoli 2026.
- Two concerts at Rotonda Diaz, on the Chiaia waterfront, on September 11 and 12 at 8:30 PM.
- Lina Sastri, Tony Esposito, and Ciccio Merolla among the headliners.
- Tribute to Roberto De Simone on the final evening.
- Six days of workshops on frame drums and folk dances, open to beginners.
- Paranze and tarantellas from all over Campania, from Vesuvius to the Monti Lattari.
Prices Notte della Tammorra 2026
Practical information — Notte della Tammorra
Location
Rotonda Diaz, Via Francesco Caracciolo, Chiaia district, 80122 Naples (Campania). Open-air space on the waterfront, opposite the Villa Comunale.
How to get there
- Metro: Line 2, Mergellina or Amedeo stop; Line 6, Arco Mirelli stop, a few minutes' walk away.
- Funicular: Chiaia (Piazza Amedeo station) from Vomero.
- Train: Napoli Centrale, then Metro Line 2 towards Mergellina.
- Car: The Via Caracciolo waterfront is a pedestrian zone; it is best to leave your car in the Chiaia-Mergellina area parking lots and continue on foot.
Tips
- Concerts start at 8:30 PM: arrive at least half an hour early to secure a spot.
- Workshops from 5:00 PM to 7:00 PM, designed for beginners as well.
- Open-air evenings by the sea: a light sweater is useful in September.
Contacts
Fondazione Il Canto di Virgilio — phone +39 081 3425603, e-mail [email protected]. Official program on the City of Naples website (Estate a Napoli 2026).
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Where does it take place — Notte della Tammorra
Rotonda Diaz
Rotonda Diaz, Via Francesco Caracciolo, 80122 Napoli