San Donato Festival
Two evenings of celebration in the historic center of Cepagatti, featuring devotion, music, and the renowned Festival della Melodia.
About San Donato Cepagatti
The San Donato Festival in Cepagatti
Every year, in the heart of summer, the historic center of Cepagatti (in the province of Pescara, Abruzzo) dresses up to celebrate San Donato. For two consecutive evenings, usually August 7th and 8th, the town's streets and squares are filled with lights, stalls, and people: it is one of the most deeply rooted traditions in the rich summer calendar of Cepagatti, promoted by the municipal administration together with the local Festival Committee.
Devotion and Tradition
The heart of the festival remains the bond with the figure of San Donato, commemorated through the community's moments of devotion. However, a popular program has developed around the religious recurrence, becoming a true summer classic over the years: musical shows, performances, and entertainment designed for all ages, in a joyful atmosphere that involves families, young people, and the many locals who return to town specifically for these evenings.
The Festival della Melodia
One of the most anticipated events linked to the San Donato celebrations is the Festival della Melodia, the historic singing competition that stops in Cepagatti and has enlivened Piazza Schuman on many occasions. Competing singers, a jury, and a warm audience bring to life evenings that blend the nostalgia of Italian song with healthy competition: the Cepagatti edition has featured performers from the Pescara area, in a context that combines entertainment and popular tradition.
In the Cepagatti Summer Calendar
The San Donato Festival is part of a dense program of events that, from June to September, touches the municipal capital and its hamlets — from Villanova to Vallemare, from Rapattoni to Buccieri. A few days after San Donato, in mid-August, Cepagatti experiences the highlight of the summer with the Patronal Feast of San Rocco and Santa Lucia and the parade of floats. The San Donato Festival, with its more intimate and neighborhood-oriented dimension, represents the prelude to this long festive period, a perfect opportunity to discover the authentic and convivial face of this town in the Val Pescara.
San Donato Cepagatti — edition 2026
San Donato Festival 2026
Celebrations for San Donato in Cepagatti are scheduled for August 7 and 8, 2026, according to the official Cepagatti Estate 2026 program released by the municipal administration. Two evenings in the historic center that combine religious tradition with summer entertainment, ahead of the great Patronal Feast of San Rocco and Santa Lucia in mid-August.
The municipal calendar confirms the dates, while the details of the shows and guests — including the traditional musical evenings in Piazza Schuman — are usually communicated by the Festival Committee in the days preceding the event. The festival maintains its popular and convivial character, with free admission.
Programme San Donato Cepagatti 2026
The official Cepagatti Estate 2026 calendar confirms the San Donato Festival for August 7 and 8 in the historic center. The detailed program of the evenings (musical shows, potential stop of the Festival della Melodia in Piazza Schuman, and moments of devotion) will be announced by the Festival Committee in the weeks preceding the event.
Highlights San Donato Cepagatti 2026
Two evenings of celebration in the historic center of Cepagatti, with live music and the convivial atmosphere that precedes the Patronal Feast of San Rocco and Santa Lucia.
Prices San Donato Cepagatti 2026
Practical information — San Donato Cepagatti
Where
The festival takes place in the historic center of Cepagatti (PE), with Piazza Schuman serving as the heart of the musical evenings.
When
Two evenings in August, traditionally the 7th and 8th. Events are held in the evening, generally starting from 9:00 PM.
How to get there
Cepagatti is located in the Val Pescara, a few kilometers from the Chieti-Pescara motorway exit (A25) and is well connected to Pescara and Chieti. By train, the reference station is Cepagatti-Vallemare on the Adriatic line.
Admission
Access to the festival evenings is free.
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Where does it take place — San Donato Cepagatti
Centro storico di Cepagatti — Piazza Schuman
Piazza Schuman, 65012 Cepagatti