Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival - Wheat Float Parade
Wheat floats, processions, and rural art in the heart of the Sannio Fortore
About Wheat Floats of Colle Sannita
A festival born from the wheat
August 4th is a non-negotiable date in Colle Sannita: it is the day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, when the statue of the Virgin is carried in procession through the village streets. As the local municipality notes in its presentation of the festivities, this devotion is rooted in a past of famine and agricultural hardship. The Madonna was invoked as a protector against hunger, and the most natural offering a mountain community could provide was the first of the newly harvested wheat.
From this collective vow, the tradition of the floats was born: each district and hamlet prepares its own float laden with wheat to offer to the Madonna. This is not a staged tourist performance, but a vow renewed from generation to generation, dictated by the agricultural calendar of the Sannio Fortore region.
Wheat floats: architectural wonders of woven straw
What began as simple braids of stalks have evolved over time into true works of straw art, mounted on wooden frames and finished with meticulous detail. Once pulled by oxen, the floats are now towed by tractors, often reproducing miniature versions of civil and religious monuments from Colle Sannita and across Italy. It is an unspoken competition of skill, where the quality of the craftsmanship grows year after year.
It is no coincidence that this happens here: straw weaving is a defining craft of Colle Sannita, and these floats serve as its most spectacular showcase.
The festival program
The official Collestate 2026 calendar, published by the Municipality of Colle Sannita, schedules the Our Lady of Mount Carmel festivities over two consecutive days:
- Tuesday, August 4th, Piazza Flora from 10:00 PM: «La Band del Divertimento» in concert, organized by the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival Committee, followed by a DJ set at midnight.
- Wednesday, August 5th, Rione Santa Maria della Libera at 9:30 AM: Fiat 500 rally, organized by the «M. del Carmine» Wheat Float Association.
- Wednesday, August 5th, Rione Santa Maria della Libera from 11:00 AM: Threshing Festival, organized by the same association.
- Wednesday, August 5th, Piazza Flora at 9:30 PM: Paolo Meneguzzi in concert, organized by the Festival Committee, followed by a DJ set at midnight.
The Municipality notes that event times are indicative and subject to change. The float parade and the procession remain the ritual heart of August 4th; according to the local tradition, the floats parade through the town center preceding the statue of the Madonna, with the exact timing announced by the Festival Committee in the days leading up to the event.
An association to preserve the memory
The recent revival of the parade is thanks to the «Madonna del Carmine» Wheat Float Association, established in October 2024. Led by President Giuseppe Zeolla and Vice President Carmine Del Grosso, the association works alongside the Festival Committee, the parish led by Father Sergio Rossetti, and the Municipality. The association has signed a protocol with the local Comprehensive Institute of Colle Sannita: primary and middle school students create straw works that parade alongside the district floats and attend grain-processing demonstrations.
Twinning relationships have also been established with other centers along the "wheat route," particularly Jels "wheat route," particularly Jelsi, in the province of Campobasso, where the festival of floats and traglie has over two centuries of history, and with San Marco dei Cavoti. This cultural axis connects the Sannio Beneventano area to Molise through the same agrarian rite.
Colle Sannita, the Fortore, and inland Campania
Colle Sannita is a town of just over two thousand inhabitants in the Province of Benevento, Campania, nestled at 769 meters above sea level in the Sannio Apennines, just a stone's throw from the Molise border. The territory is scattered across thirty hamlets and districts—Decorata being the most populous—and preserves a landscape of wheat fields, forests, and stone houses that explains why the harvest remains a communal affair.
Piazza Flora, named after the literary critic Francesco Flora, serves as the town's living room and the natural stage for musical evenings. The rest of the Colle Sannita summer revolves around the Carmine festivities, with food festivals and events running from July to September.
What to expect
Visitors arriving on August 4th will find an authentic village festival: decorated tractors, families accompanying their floats, the brass band, the sunset procession, and the square transforming into a dance floor until late at night. It is an experience worth the journey for those seeking the lesser-known side of Campania, deep in the Sannio hinterland.
Wheat Floats of Colle Sannita — edition 2026
Two days of devotion and music
For 2026, the Municipality of Colle Sannita has included the Our Lady of Mount Carmel festival in the Collestate 2026 program, which covers the summer season from July 10th to September 6th. The dates remain the traditional ones: August 4th, the day dedicated to the Virgin of Carmel according to local custom, and August 5th, dedicated to rural heritage.
The first evening is hosted by the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival Committee, featuring «La Band del Divertimento» in Piazza Flora from 10:00 PM, with a DJ set to follow at midnight. The next day, the «M. del Carmine» Wheat Float Association leads the program: at Rione Santa Maria della Libera, activities begin at 9:30 AM with a Fiat 500 rally, followed at 11:00 AM by the Threshing Festival, a re-enactment of harvest gestures and tools. In the evening, the focus returns to the square for Paolo Meneguzzi's concert at 9:30 PM, again followed by a DJ set.
The floats, the thread that holds it all together
The municipal calendar does not specify the exact time for the wheat float parade or the procession, which the Festival Committee will announce in the days immediately preceding the event. Tradition dictates that the district floats parade through the town center before the statue of the Madonna. As always, the district works are joined by creations from the students of the Colle Sannita Comprehensive Institute as part of the protocol signed with the association.
The Municipality reminds visitors that all summer program times are indicative and subject to change: it is advisable to check the official channels one last time before setting off.
Programme Wheat Floats of Colle Sannita 2026
Tuesday, August 4th, 2026 — Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival
- During the day: Parade of district wheat floats and procession of the statue of Our Lady of Mount Carmel through the village streets (times announced by the Festival Committee).
- 10:00 PM — Piazza Flora: «La Band del Divertimento» in concert, organized by the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival Committee.
- 12:00 AM — Piazza Flora: DJ set.
Wednesday, August 5th, 2026 — Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival
- 9:30 AM — Rione Santa Maria della Libera: Fiat 500 rally, organized by the «M. del Carmine» Wheat Float Association.
- From 11:00 AM — Rione Santa Maria della Libera: Threshing Festival, organized by the «M. del Carmine» Wheat Float Association.
- 9:30 PM — Piazza Flora: Paolo Meneguzzi in concert, organized by the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Festival Committee.
- 12:00 AM — Piazza Flora: DJ set.
Source: official «Collestate 2026» calendar of the Municipality of Colle Sannita. Times are indicative and subject to change.
Highlights Wheat Floats of Colle Sannita 2026
- The wheat floats of the districts: straw sculptures on wooden frames, now towed by tractors, reproducing civil and religious monuments.
- The procession of Our Lady of Mount Carmel on August 4th, the devotional heart of the festival.
- The Threshing Festival on August 5th at Rione Santa Maria della Libera, featuring grain-processing re-enactments.
- The Fiat 500 rally on the morning of August 5th.
- Free concerts in Piazza Flora: «La Band del Divertimento» on August 4th and Paolo Meneguzzi on August 5th, with midnight DJ sets.
- Straw works created by students of the Colle Sannita Comprehensive Institute.
Prices Wheat Floats of Colle Sannita 2026
Practical information — Wheat Floats of Colle Sannita
How to get there
Colle Sannita is easily reached by car, traveling up from Benevento towards the Fortore valley in the direction of the Molise border. The town is located at 769 meters above sea level, so the final mountain roads should be driven with care. The most convenient train station is Benevento, from where you can continue by car or provincial bus lines. The nearest airports are Naples-Capodichino and Bari-Palese.
Admission and costs
Religious celebrations, the wheat float parade, and evening concerts in Piazza Flora are free to attend: the municipal calendar does not require tickets. Only food and drinks at the stalls and local establishments are paid services.
Where to stay
Accommodation in Colle Sannita is typical of a small village: bed and breakfasts and farm stays (agriturismi) in the town and surrounding hamlets, with further options in nearby towns (Circello, San Marco dei Cavoti, Castelpagano) and in Benevento, about an hour's drive away. It is advisable to book well in advance during the festival days.
Useful tips
- Arrive on the morning of August 4th to see the floats before the parade: this is the best time to observe the straw weaving up close.
- Even in mid-August, evenings at this altitude can be cool: bring a light sweater.
- The procession is a devotional moment: please photograph discreetly and leave space for the pallbearers.
- Park outside the center and walk to Piazza Flora, as the town streets are closed to traffic during the parade.
- Check the final schedules on the Festival Committee and Municipality channels in the days leading up to the event.
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Where does it take place — Wheat Floats of Colle Sannita
Piazza Flora e Rione Santa Maria della Libera