Montecorice Carnival

A young carnival that has captured the heart of Cilento

The Montecorice Carnival is one of the most vibrant winter events in the Municipality of Montecorice, a small agricultural and tourist hub in the Province of Salerno, Campania, overlooking the Tyrrhenian Sea in the heart of lower Cilento. Launched just a few years ago by the Pro Loco Ortodonico Cilento and a grassroots committee of local youth, with the patronage of the municipal administration, it has already become a staple of the Cilento carnival calendar.

The formula for its success is simple and effective: involve the entire municipal territory, from the hilltop capital to the seaside, and have the floats built directly by local youngsters who spend weeks working in warehouses with papier-mâché, iron, and paint.

Between hills and sea: two settings for one festival

The most original feature of the event is its dual setting. Some of the parades take place in Agnone Cilento, the seaside hamlet of Montecorice, where floats travel along the seafront starting from the pier area—an unusual backdrop for a carnival, with the open sea in the background. The grand finale takes place in Montecorice town center, where the procession winds through the village streets and concludes in Piazza San Biagio, named after the town's patron saint.

Allegorical floats and costumed groups

The heart of the Montecorice Carnival lies in its allegorical floats, which reinterpret pop culture icons, animated films, and collective imagery every year. The 2025 edition featured four floats dedicated to One Piece, the Chinese New Year, Il Capitano – GigiDag, and Mary Poppins.

• Allegorical floats handmade by groups of young volunteers
• Themed costumed groups, such as the one dedicated to Japan: Anime and Manga
• Dance performances by schools from the Salerno area, featuring historical pageants and roving choreography
• Opening choreographies, DJ sets, and music along the entire route

A festival designed for children and families

Alongside the parades, the program always reserves space for the little ones with the «Bimbi in maschera» (Kids in Costume) event: an afternoon of entertainment, inflatables, games, and music, with floats on display for close-up viewing. It is the moment when the carnival becomes a true village celebration, where grandparents, parents, and children gather in the square in costume.

The flavors of Cilento between parades

Throughout the event, food stalls are set up with local specialties. Cilento is a land of extra virgin olive oil, figs, wine, and simple Mediterranean diet dishes; the carnival is the perfect opportunity to taste traditional fried sweets, from chiacchiere to zeppole, prepared according to family recipes. The festivities traditionally close with a tombolata and a prize lottery.

The carnival in the Cilento calendar

The Montecorice Carnival fits into a rich context: the Cilento region preserves some of the oldest popular carnivals in Campania, ranging from ritual masks to traditional begging songs. In Montecorice itself, the hamlet of Cosentini maintains a distinct and much older carnival tradition linked to folk performances and the burning of the Carnival effigy. Visitors to the municipality during the festivities can discover two complementary faces of the same culture: the modern, spectacular side of the floats and the archaic, ritualistic side of peasant tradition.

Why visit

For those choosing Cilento out of season, the Montecorice Carnival is an excellent reason to discover a village that thrives on seaside tourism in summer and returns to its most authentic dimension in winter. The parades are free to attend, take place outdoors, and pass through locations of great scenic beauty: a village-scale carnival where participation matters more than the spectacle itself.