Oktoberfest Volturara Irpina

A miniature Bavaria in Irpinia

The Oktoberfest of Volturara Irpina is one of the most anticipated and popular events on the Irpinia calendar. Born as an offshoot of the local Brauhaus pub and having grown in recent years into a regional attraction, it successfully recreates the atmosphere of the great Munich beer tents for a few days, over a thousand kilometers away: beer served in glass steins, German cuisine, bands in traditional costume, and long communal tables where you won't be sitting for long.

The secret to its success is its authenticity: this is not just a generic beer festival, but an event built around musical groups and dance troupes that actually arrive from Germany and the Alpine region, and a menu that follows Bavarian tradition while nodding to local Irpinian flavors. The result is an event that has attracted thousands of people over the years from all over Campania, particularly from the provinces of Avellino, Naples, and Salerno.

The menu: Bavarian cuisine with an Irpinian twist

Cuisine is the second pillar of the festival, alongside beer. Recent editions have featured:

• Pork knuckle, the festival's signature dish;
• Marinated capocollo, a cut that blends German and local traditions;
• Leberkase, the classic Bavarian meatloaf served in slices;
• Artisanal sausages, both white and red, as well as a vegetarian version;
• Freshly baked pretzels;
• Speck dumplings with sauerkraut salad, a new addition in recent years, served only on Sunday lunch;
• Pasta with tomato sauce for the little ones.

Accompanying the dishes is excellent Bavarian beer, served in glass steins as tradition dictates: in past editions, the selection has included historic German breweries, such as the Hofbräuhaus Traunstein.

Music, dance, and costumes from Germany

Every evening is animated by live entertainment. The 2025 edition featured the folk group Zwoa A Hold Leberhosn, the brass quartet Die Volkspartie, dancers in traditional costume from the Volkstanzgruppe Burgstall, and the Natza Äpfelklotscha group, specializing in Alpine dances and the schuhplattler, the characteristic hand-and-shoe slapping dance. The audience is encouraged to join in: singing, collective toasts, and group dances are part of the script, and the marquee quickly transforms into a big Bavarian-style village festival.

The «Antonio Risoli» marquee

For several editions, the event has been held in the «Antonio Risoli» municipal marquee on Via Petrarca: an indoor solution that allows for a large number of visitors and keeps the festival going even with the uncertain weather of late September, when evenings in Irpinia begin to turn chilly. On the two Sundays, the venue also opens for lunch to welcome families and groups of friends from the early hours of the day.

Volturara Irpina and the Dragone plain

The Municipality of Volturara Irpina, in the province of Avellino, overlooks the picturesque Dragone plain, an ancient lake basin at the foot of the Picentini Mountains that naturally floods in the wet months and whose waters disappear underground through the Bocca del Dragone sinkhole. It is an unusual and photogenic landscape, a short distance from the Picentini Mountains Regional Park and the villages of the Sabato Valley. The beer festival is now the most visible moment of the Volturara autumn, but the local calendar is lively all year round, from the Volturara Summer promoted by the municipal administration to festivals dedicated to dairy products and Irpinian farming traditions.

When it takes place

The event traditionally falls at the end of September, extending into the first days of October, spanning two consecutive weekends from Friday to Sunday. In 2025, for instance, the festival was held from September 26 to 28 and from October 3 to 5. Admission is free: you only pay for what you consume at the food and beer counters.