Madonna del Tindari Festival at Tono

The festival of the Tono village

The Madonna del Tindari Festival at Tono is the main religious and popular event of Borgata Tono, the picturesque seaside district of Milazzo, in the province of Messina, overlooking the bay of the same name within the Capo Milazzo Marine Protected Area. Every year, in the heart of September, the small community of Tono celebrates its patron saint with three intense days where devotion, local identity, and seaside festivities merge into an event eagerly awaited by the entire Tyrrhenian coast of Messina.

A devotion dating back to 1965

The village's bond with the Madonna del Tindari has its roots in 1965, the year the venerated statue arrived in Tono—an episode the community considers the official birth of the festivities. The image of the Black Madonna, deeply cherished throughout Sicily and venerated at the famous Sanctuary of Tindari nearby, has been the spiritual heart of the village ever since. In 2025, the festival celebrated the 60th anniversary of that arrival (1965-2025), a milestone that added particular solemnity to the edition.

Between faith and popular celebration

The program alternates between religious moments, overseen by the Friars Minor and the parish, and evening entertainment organized by the festival committee. The days typically include:

• evening cabaret and music shows in Piazza Ngonia Tono;
• entertainment and games for children on Tono beach;
• concerts by parish choirs and musical performances;
• the Solemn Holy Mass and the evocative procession of the statue through the streets of the seaside village;
• the flower festival (infiorata) that adorns the processional route and the characteristic fireworks displays over the sea.

The heart of the festival: the procession

The most anticipated moment is the Sunday procession, when the statue of the Madonna travels through the main streets of the district—from Piazza Ngonia Tono along Via Nettuno, Via Porticella, and the roads overlooking the bay—accompanied by the marching band and the moving participation of the faithful. The day traditionally concludes with a prize draw and fireworks that illuminate the waters of Tono.

An event for the local area

More than just a religious recurrence, the festival represents the moment when the village of Tono rediscovers its identity as a seafaring community, welcoming visitors, vacationers, and former residents who return for the occasion. The setting of the bay, one of the most beautiful on the Milazzo coastline and a popular seaside destination in Tyrrhenian Sicily, provides the backdrop for a festival that blends the sacred and the profane in the most authentic style of Sicilian villages.