Mascherina d'Argento - Nola Children's Carnival

The children's Carnival in the heart of Nola

The Mascherina d'Argento is the children's Carnival of Nola, in the province of Naples, in the heart of Campania. Every year, on the Sunday before Shrove Tuesday, Piazza Duomo transforms into a large open-air stage: over one hundred and fifty children take to the stage in their costumes, amidst confetti, music, and the applause of the families who crowd the square from the early hours of the morning.

The initiative is organized by the Pro Loco Nola Città d'Arte, in collaboration with the Municipality of Nola, and deliberately maintains a simple and genuine character: no gigantic floats, but a community ritual that puts children and their imagination at the center. It is the Carnival as it was once experienced in the towns of the Nola area, where the celebration was born from the square rather than from a spectacle.

Nearly thirty years of history

The first edition dates back to 1999. Since then, the event has grown year by year to become one of the most anticipated appointments of the Nola winter: in 2026, the Mascherina d'Argento celebrated its twenty-eighth edition. Every year, the square gathers hundreds of families from Nola and neighboring towns, who find here a Carnival truly tailored to children.

How the morning unfolds

• gathering in Piazza Duomo on the morning of Carnival Sunday;
• parade on stage of children in costume, called one by one by the host;
• games, entertainment, and gifts for all participants;
• symbolic presentation of the Mascherina d'Argento award to one of the children.

The hosting is entrusted to well-known local faces: in recent years, the Nola actress Maura Tronci and the presenter Pasquale Napolitano have taken turns on stage, welcoming the children, calling them to the microphone, and describing the most original costumes to the audience. The parade is open to children aged 0 to 10: the youngest can go on stage accompanied by an adult.

An award dedicated to Carmine Martinez

The Mascherina d'Argento award is named in memory of Carmine Martinez, a much-loved figure of the local Pro Loco and Ottica Martinez, a historic promoter of the event who passed away during the pandemic. It is a way to link the children's festival to the community's memory and to remember those who helped create and grow the event. Ottica Martinez remains a historic partner of the parade, joined in recent years by McDonald's Nola Drive, which brings games and gifts for the little ones to the square.

The Nola Carnival and its traditions

The Mascherina d'Argento is part of a broader journey through which the Pro Loco has brought the carnival traditions of Nola back to life: the popular mask of Fra Braciola, the gluttonous friar symbol of carnival abundance; traditional dishes like lasagna, braciole, and migliaccio; and the display of the Quaravesima, the puppet that marks the end of Carnival and the beginning of Lent on Ash Wednesday. An anthropological heritage that goes far beyond the masquerade and tells the story of the identity of this corner of Campania.

Nola, the historic center and its square

The Municipality of Nola is known for the Feast of the Lilies and as the birthplace of Giordano Bruno. Piazza Duomo, dominated by the Cathedral, is the true city living room: reaching it on Carnival Sunday means discovering the historic center of Nola, just a few kilometers from Naples and the slopes of Mount Vesuvius. For those visiting Campania in winter, the Mascherina d'Argento is an opportunity to see an authentic festival, far from tourist circuits, where the entire city gathers around its children.