Patronal Feast in honor of Maria SS. Addolorata and San Gerardo Maiella

The patron saint festival in the heart of the Sabato Valley

Around the first Sunday of September, the Municipality of Pratola Serra celebrates its two patron saints, Maria SS. Addolorata and San Gerardo Maiella. It is the most anticipated event of the year for this town of just over three thousand inhabitants in the province of Avellino, in Campania, nestled at an altitude of 280 meters along the Sabato Valley. For four days, the two souls of the town—Serra di Pratola, the historic core on the hill, and Pratola, the more modern part towards the river, along with the hamlets of San Michele, Acquaviva, and Saudelle—come together amidst religious celebrations, illuminations, and open-air concerts.

Two devotions, one community

The Maria SS.ma Addolorata Parish, part of the Diocese of Avellino, houses the statue of the Virgin of Sorrows, which is carried in procession on the main day of the festival. Beside her, San Gerardo Maiella is venerated; the Redemptorist brother whose sanctuary in Materdomini, in Caposele, is located in the same province and is a destination for pilgrimages from all over Southern Italy—a very popular devotion in Irpinia, particularly linked to mothers and children. In 2024, the festival took on special significance with the coronation of the statue of the Most Holy Addolorata, presided over by the Bishop of Avellino, Monsignor Arturo Aiello.

The religious program

The sacred portion follows a traditional pattern that repeats year after year:

• the exposition of the sacred images and the triduum of prayer in the days leading up to the festivities;
• the Via Matris, a Marian prayer itinerary that in recent editions has taken place in the public park;
• the Holy Masses on Sunday, celebrated at various times throughout the day;
• the solemn procession through the streets of the town with the statues of the two patrons, accompanied by a brass band.

The secular program: the Corso stage

The heart of the secular festival is the stage set up on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, where every evening, usually starting at 9:30 PM, comedy shows, tribute bands, DJ sets, and free-entry concerts take place. Over the years, Pratola Serra has built a reputation for attracting big names: the Corso has hosted Pooh, Après La Classe, Renzo Arbore, Gigi D'Alessio, LDA, Zero Assoluto, the «Mixed by Erry» phenomenon, and Neapolitan singer-songwriter Andrea Sannino. A must-see on Sunday is the grand brass band concert, entrusted each time to traditional Campanian ensembles such as the «Città di Fisciano» or «Città di Bracigliano» bands.

Illuminations and fireworks

As in every major patronal feast in Southern Italy, artistic lighting transforms the Corso and the central streets into a path of luminous arches: in recent years, the setup has been handled by the Lumilux company. The finale is entrusted to the pyrotechnic show, created by Marano Fireworks, a company based right in Pratola Serra: a detail that speaks volumes about how deeply rooted the tradition of fireworks is in this part of Irpinia.

The 2026 edition

In 2026, the first Sunday of September falls on the 6th. The complete calendar has not yet been released by the Festival Committee, but one appointment is already official: Monday, September 7th at 10:00 PM, on Corso Vittorio Emanuele, Franco Ricciardi will perform for the festivities in honor of the Patron Saints. Other secular and religious events will be announced, as usual, in the weeks immediately preceding.

How to get there and what to see nearby

Pratola Serra is crossed by the State Road 371 of the Sabato Valley and is located a short distance from Avellino. The reference railway station is Prata-Pratola, on the Benevento-Avellino line, located in the nearby municipality of Prata di Principato Ultra. The territory is also known for the large engine production plant established in the eighties, but its deep identity remains that of the agricultural and devotional Sabato Valley, a land of vineyards and small villages overlooking each other from hill to hill.