Palatella BeerFest

The Palatella beer festival

The Palatella BeerFest is the summer beer event in the hamlet of Bagnara, in the Municipality of Sant'Angelo a Cupolo, in the province of Benevento, Campania. It takes place at the Palatella, the open-air space that gives the festival its name and which the organizers describe as "an ancient and charming corner of Bagnara": two nights of beer mugs, food, live music, and DJ sets in the heart of the small Sannio village.

The event is managed by the Pubblica Assistenza Agorà Bagnara ODV, the volunteer association that keeps almost the entire calendar of recreational activities alive in Bagnara, and is included in the official "Estate Santangiolese" program, the schedule with which the municipality and the Polo delle Associazioni—a network of twelve local associations active in food, wine, cultural, social, and sports promotion—cover the warmer months in all the hamlets of the territory.

Bagnara and the Palatella

Bagnara is one of the nine hamlets of Sant'Angelo a Cupolo: it stands at an altitude of about 303 meters on the right bank of the Sabato river, in a hilly area just over three kilometers from the municipal center, and has fewer than five hundred inhabitants. Despite its small size, it is the hamlet that the municipality itself indicates as a place "for sports, leisure, and shows": here, most of the summer evenings in Sant'Angelo are concentrated.

The Palatella is the hub of this outdoor life. It is not a monumental square or a developed tourist site: it is a corner of the village, with its ancient walls, which for a few nights a year is set up with stalls, tables, and a sound system, transforming into the village's living room. It is the classic model of an Italian village festival, where the scenery is provided by the village itself.

What to expect

The formula is the tried-and-tested one of Sannio beer festivals, simple and convivial:

• beer on tap served at the stalls set up in the festival area;
• food & drink aperitif and open-air kitchen, starting around sunset;
• live music on the Palatella stage;
• DJ sets—in recent editions focused on classic and tech house selections—that accompany the final part of the evening;
• free entry to the area, with drinks and food available for purchase on-site.

It is a festival that comes alive in the evening and at night, with a predominantly young audience made up of residents and visitors from the nearby towns of the Sabato valley, including Benevento.

From Palatella Summer Fest to Palatella BeerFest

The Palatella event has changed its name over time, while remaining the same appointment in the same place. In the summer of 2025, it was called "PALATELLA Summer Fest" and took place on Saturday, August 2nd, in its second edition, with an aperitif, live music, and DJ sets from 8:00 PM. In 2026, the municipal calendar listed it as "Palatella BeerFest", moving it to late June and extending it to two nights: a sign of growth for a festival born quite spontaneously.

A piece of the Estate Santangiolese

Those who happen to be in Bagnara for the BeerFest will discover that the hamlet does not stop there. During the same summer, the Agorà Association also signs off on Motori e Sapori — Asparagus Festival, among the longest-running gatherings in the area, and the "Venerdì dell'Agorà" series, with evenings of karaoke, open-air cinema, dinner shows, and the white dinner at the end of August. In the other hamlets of Sant'Angelo a Cupolo, there is a succession of the Sagra della Farzona e del Paparulo 'Mbuttunato in Perrillo, the Pastene Beer Fest, the Sagra del Cecatiello, and the Festa del Caciocavallo in San Marco ai Monti: a small circuit of festivals that runs from April to September.

Tips for your visit

• It starts after sunset: arriving early helps to find a seat at the tables and park nearby.
• Bagnara is hilly: even in June, after midnight, a light sweatshirt might be useful.
• Consumptions are paid for at the stalls: it is better to have cash with you.
• During the festival, traffic in the hamlet is modified by municipal ordinance: it is best to follow the temporary signage and the instructions of the volunteers.
• The updated program is released through the social channels of the Associazione Agorà Bagnara and the municipality's website.