Locomotive Jazz Festival (Sogliano Cavour stage)

Where the Locomotive Jazz Festival was born

The Locomotive Jazz Festival took its first steps in 2006 right here in Sogliano Cavour, a small town in the Grecìa Salentina area of the Lecce province, envisioned by Salento-born saxophonist Raffaele Casarano. Since then, the festival has grown into one of Puglia's most distinctive musical events, traveling through the villages, archaeological sites, and seaside towns of Salento. Yet, Sogliano Cavour remains its symbolic home—the place where it all began and to which the festival always returns.

The Grand Finale in the village

For years, Sogliano Cavour has hosted the festival's Grand Finale, a major closing celebration that gathers musicians, locals, and fans from across Salento in the historic center and at Parco Falcone Borsellino. It is an evening that blends jazz with the town's traditional band music, featuring the Santa Cecilia Musical Band of Sogliano Cavour performing alongside Raffaele Casarano and numerous guests, followed by music continuing late into the night with DJ sets in the squares.

Music, tastings, and discovering the territory

The Sogliano formula is what made the Locomotive famous: not just concerts, but a journey of discovery through the village. In the late afternoon, the alleys of the historic center come alive with guided tours, tastings of local Salento products, and photographic exhibitions before the music takes center stage. It is a way to combine high-quality listening with an appreciation for the region's heritage, traditions, and food and wine.

A festival spread across Salento

The Sogliano Cavour stage is part of a broader program that, over several weeks between July and August, touches various towns in the province of Lecce with the Locomotive Sunsets—free concerts at sunset—leading up to the festival's most famous moment: the Locomotive Sunrise, the grand concert at dawn on the beach of Marina di San Cataldo. In this musical itinerary, Sogliano Cavour represents the roots and memory of the project.

Sogliano Cavour and Grecìa Salentina

Located in the heart of the Salento area near Lecce, Sogliano Cavour is one of the small towns of Grecìa Salentina, an area historically linked to the Griko language and culture. The Municipality of Sogliano Cavour, together with local associations, collaborates on the success of the event, which brings a loyal audience to Puglia every summer and restores the village's role as the symbolic capital of Salento jazz.