Montese Carnival

The Montese Carnival, the Phlegraean Fields' February festival

The Montese Carnival is the most anticipated winter event in Monte di Procida, a small town in the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania, overlooking the Phlegraean Fields sea, facing Procida and Ischia. For one afternoon, the town pauses its daily routine and fills with masks, music, and colors: it is a festival where the entire community—children, teenagers, families, and local associations—takes to the streets together.

This is not a carnival built for mass tourism, but an authentic village festival born from months of hard work by local groups. Because of this, it retains a rare, participatory spirit: visitors from outside don't just watch the parade; they inevitably become part of it.

The allegorical float parade

The heart of the event is the allegorical float parade, which winds along the main axis of the town. The procession traditionally starts at Piazza Sant'Antonio, travels along Via Filomarino, Corso Garibaldi, and Corso Umberto, and concludes in Piazza XXVII Gennaio, the town's main square, where the party continues with music and entertainment.

The floats are crafted from papier-mâché by local associations and accompanied by masked groups who coordinate their choreography and costumes with the edition's theme. Street performers, stilt walkers, and clowns move around the floats, while stalls, rides, and refreshment points line the route.

• Papier-mâché allegorical floats built by local associations
• Masked groups with themed choreography and costumes
• Street performers, roving music, and entertainment along the route
• Activities for children, games, and photo opportunities with the masks
• Completely free admission

Who organizes the festival

The event is organized by the Associazione Vivi l'Estate, an organization that has been promoting and enlivening the Monte di Procida and Phlegraean Fields area for over thirty years, with the support of the Municipality of Monte di Procida and as part of the metropolitan calendar of events of the Metropolitan City of Naples. Other local groups, including Asdchige Barone, the California Club, and the Associazione Cappella Futura, regularly collaborate on the editions.

A festival designed for families

The Montese Carnival is one of the most popular events for families in the Phlegraean area. Alongside the main Sunday parade, the program traditionally includes a final day held indoors at the Pala Aldo Romeo, featuring games, entertainment, and photo sessions with costumed characters for children—a useful solution in case of bad weather, which is always possible in February.

Monte di Procida and the Phlegraean Fields

Monte di Procida stands on a tuff promontory at the western end of the Gulf of Pozzuoli: from the viewpoint in Piazza XXVII Gennaio, the view embraces Procida, Ischia, and Cape Miseno. The Carnival is part of a particularly lively Phlegraean calendar, which also involves nearby Bacoli during the same period: those staying in the area can easily combine multiple parades in the same weekend and pair the festivities with visits to the area's archaeological sites, from the Piscina Mirabilis to the Underwater Park of Baia.

When it takes place

The Montese Carnival is held in February or March, depending on the Carnival's placement in the liturgical calendar: the main parade falls on a Sunday, while the closing events are concentrated on Shrove Tuesday. In 2026, the allegorical float parade took place on Sunday, February 15, with follow-up festivities on Tuesday, February 17; in 2025, the event was held on March 2 and 4.