La Notte della Taranta - Carpignano Salentino Stop

La Notte della Taranta in Carpignano Salentino

Every summer, Salento becomes the stage for one of Italy's most renowned folk events: La Notte della Taranta. Before the famous final Concertone in Melpignano, the Foundation takes its music from town to town with the Itinerant Festival. Carpignano Salentino, in the Province of Lecce, hosts one of the most anticipated stops on the calendar in the central Piazza Duca d'Aosta.

Pizzica and Salento tradition

The heart of the evening is the pizzica, the ancient Salento dance that originated as a healing ritual for the bite of the tarantula and has now become a symbol of identity and collective celebration. Popular orchestras, singers, and dancers take turns on stage, while in the square, the public learns and repeats the steps of the traditional dance accompanied by masters from the Dance School. The hypnotic sound of the tambourine, violin, and accordion accompanies the community all night long, in a blend of rural memory and new sounds.

The Itinerant Festival

The Carpignano Salentino stop is part of the widespread program of the La Notte della Taranta Foundation, which every August travels through about twenty squares in Salento with free performances before the grand Concertone in Melpignano. The stars of the evenings are the La Notte della Taranta Popular Orchestra, joined by local musical groups and projects: the event thus offers a vivid and plural portrait of Apulian folk music, uniting large ensembles and young Salento bands.

A defining event for Salento

More than just a concert, the Notte della Taranta in Carpignano Salentino is a moment of gathering for the entire community and the many visitors who reach Grecìa Salentina and the Lecce hinterland in summer. Families, young people, and curious onlookers meet in Piazza Duca d'Aosta to dance, listen, and share a tradition that the Municipality of Carpignano Salentino preserves and renews every year, in the heart of a land deeply connected to its music.

The 2026 edition date

The 2026 stop in Carpignano Salentino is announced for Sunday, August 2, 2026, as part of the 29th edition of the festival, which this year focuses on the routes of the Mediterranean. The final Concertone is confirmed for August 22, 2026, in Melpignano, with Ermal Meta as the concert master. The detailed program for the Carpignano evening, featuring orchestras and traditional Salento folk groups, is usually released by the Foundation in the weeks leading up to the event.