Porto Cesareo Fish Festival
The oldest secular festival in Porto Cesareo, featuring fresh fried seafood, pizzica music, and the maritime traditions of Salento.
About Fish Festival
The maritime festival of Porto Cesareo
The Fish Festival is the most iconic and long-standing event in Porto Cesareo, a coastal town in the Province of Lecce, in the heart of the Ionian Salento, Puglia. Established in 1965, it is the town's oldest secular festival and has spent nearly sixty years celebrating the deep bond between the local community and the sea, within one of the richest and most protected fishing zones in Upper Salento, nestled in the Porto Cesareo Protected Marine Area.
Piazza Nazario Sauro, an open-air restaurant
For three summer evenings, the heart of the village, Piazza Nazario Sauro, turns into a large open-air restaurant. The food stalls managed by the volunteers of the Pro Loco of Porto Cesareo offer local catches prepared according to tradition: the famous fried seafood, octopus (including the traditional pignata style), mussels, cuttlefish, grilled prawns, sea urchins, and oysters, all paired with Salento wine. It is an authentic opportunity to savor Salento's seafood cuisine at affordable prices, in an atmosphere of celebration shared by residents and tourists alike.
Music, pizzica, and performances
Alongside the gastronomy, the festival offers a rich entertainment program: a marching band that opens the festivities, concerts of folk music and pizzica, comedy theater shows with local groups, show cooking, educational workshops, and DJ sets. There are also photographic exhibitions dedicated to the lives of fishermen, preserving the memory of a town that grew around its harbor and nets.
A tradition that unites the town
Organized by the Pro Loco of Porto Cesareo APS in collaboration with the Protected Marine Area and supported by the Municipality of Porto Cesareo, the Puglia Region, the Province of Lecce, GAL Terra d'Arneo, and UNION3, the Fish Festival is much more than a culinary event: it is the moment when the local community gathers to showcase its maritime identity to the world. Every year, thousands of visitors reach Porto Cesareo to experience this festival, which symbolically marks the beginning of the Salento summer season.
Fish Festival — edition 2026
Fish Festival 2026 — 47th edition
The 47th edition of the Fish Festival of Porto Cesareo took place from Friday, July 3, to Sunday, July 5, 2026, in Piazza Nazario Sauro, confirming the historic format of three evenings dedicated to local seafood and folk entertainment.
The program opened on Friday, July 3, with a marching band through the town streets (6:00 PM), the opening of the festival and stalls (7:00 PM), and in the evening, the Broduei Show with local youth and a folk music concert by Santa Isteria. On Saturday, July 4, the food stalls reopened at 7:00 PM, followed at 9:00 PM by the Scazzicapieti show and a DJ set by DJ Elia. On Sunday, July 5, after the stalls opened, the stage featured Gli Avvocati Divorzisti and a DJ set by Paolo Peluso.
As per tradition, the stalls of the Pro Loco of Porto Cesareo APS offered fried seafood, octopus, mussels, cuttlefish, and Salento wine, accompanied by show cooking and educational workshops. Admission was free.
Programme Fish Festival 2026
Friday, July 3
- 6:00 PM — Marching band through the town streets
- 7:00 PM — Opening of the festival and food stalls
- 8:00 PM — Broduei Show (theater with local youth)
- 9:00 PM — Santa Isteria in concert (folk music)
Saturday, July 4
- 7:00 PM — Opening of food stalls
- 9:00 PM — "Scazzicapieti" show + DJ Elia
Sunday, July 5
- 7:00 PM — Opening of food stalls
- 9:00 PM — "Gli Avvocati Divorzisti" + DJ Paolo Peluso
Highlights Fish Festival 2026
- Fried seafood, octopus, mussels, and cuttlefish in the local tradition
- Folk music concert by Santa Isteria
- Show cooking and educational workshops on local seafood
- Free admission in Piazza Nazario Sauro
Prices Fish Festival 2026
Practical information — Fish Festival
Getting there
Porto Cesareo is located on the Ionian coast of Salento, in the Province of Lecce. By car, it can be reached from the SS 101 Lecce-Gallipoli road, taking the exit for Porto Cesareo, or via the coastal road. The nearest train station is Nardò (Ferrovie del Sud Est), which is connected to the coast by bus; the nearest airports are Brindisi-Salento and Bari.
Admission and stalls
Admission to the festival is free. You only pay for what you consume at the food stalls, which offer affordable prices. Stalls generally open from 7:00 PM; evening performances begin around 9:00 PM.
Tips
During the festival, the town center is very crowded: it is best to arrive early and park in the areas outside the center. Don't miss a walk along the promenade and a visit to the Protected Marine Area.
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Where does it take place — Fish Festival
Piazza Nazario Sauro
Piazza Nazario Sauro, 73010 Porto Cesareo