Organetto Festival (with Typical Products Festival)

The organetto, the undisputed star

The Organetto Festival is the most iconic summer event in Frigento, a village of just over two thousand inhabitants perched at an altitude of about 900 meters in the province of Avellino, in the heart of Irpinia and the inland Campania region. Every year, in the days leading up to Ferragosto, the Piano della Croce area — the wide plateau just outside the town that gives the event its name — becomes the stage for four evenings dedicated to the diatonic organetto, the folk instrument that has accompanied peasant celebrations in Southern Italy for generations.

This is not a single concert, but a long choral showcase: soloists, folk groups, family ensembles, and dance orchestras take turns on stage, often accompanied by tammorras, accordions, guitars, and vocals. The repertoire features the tarantellas, quadrilles, waltzes, and polkas that belong to Irpinia's musical memory, with occasional forays into pop music and ballroom dancing. The audience doesn't stay seated: people dance in front of the stage, and the dancing is an integral part of the show.

A tradition spanning over three decades

The first edition dates back to the early nineties: the 2019 event marked the thirtieth edition, and 2025 the thirty-fourth, a testament to a continuity rare for a festival born from local volunteer work. The organization is handled by the Associazione Organetto 2000, which oversees both the artistic and gastronomic aspects, with the patronage and support of the Municipality of Frigento; the event is included every year in the L'Estate Frigentina program, the calendar of events that accompanies the village from June to the end of August.

Over the years, the festival has become a landmark for lovers of Southern Italian folk music: musicians of all ages have passed through Piano della Croce, from children taking the stage for the first time to veterans who guard the traditional motifs of the territory.

The Typical Products Festival

Music has always been paired with the Typical Products Festival, which turns the evening into a true village feast. The stands managed by volunteers offer the most genuine Irpinian cuisine, prepared on-site and served at open-air tables. Inland Irpinia offers an exceptional pantry, and the dishes served tell the story of the territory:

• cheeses and cured meats from the Baronia and Upper Irpinia producers;
• homemade pasta and legumes from the Frigento hills, starting with cicerchia, the town's signature product;
• grilled meats and traditional peasant-style fried foods;
• Irpinian wines, from Fiano di Avellino to Greco di Tufo and Aglianico del Taurasi, produced just a few kilometers away;
• homemade desserts and taralli.

The formula is the classic one of Southern festivals: you eat at popular prices, stay at the table until late, and finish by dancing under the stage.

Frigento, the balcony of Irpinia

Those who arrive for the festival will find a village worth visiting during the day as well. Frigento is famous for its 360-degree panorama over the Ufita and Calore valleys, which on clear days stretches as far as the Matese and Gargano mountains. In the historic center, you can visit the Mother Church of Santa Maria Assunta, the evocative Roman cisterns under Piazza Municipio — a testament to the ancient Aeclanum and the Roman settlement — and the municipal archaeological museum FriMACT. Just outside the town is the Sanctuary of the Madonna del Buon Consiglio, another place dear to local devotion.

The atmosphere of the evenings

The charm of the Organetto Festival lies in the combination of altitude and season: at 900 meters, August evenings are cool, the plateau is open to the Irpinian sky, and the music can be heard from afar. It is an intergenerational festival, where grandparents teach their grandchildren the steps of the tarantella and families arrive from neighboring towns — Gesualdo, Sturno, Grottaminarda, Carife, Villamaina — to spend the evening together. Admission is free, making it one of the most accessible offerings of the Irpinian summer.