Sant'Angelo August Festival (Mid-August)

The mid-August patronal feast in Licata

The Sant'Angelo August Festival, known to locals as the mid-August feast, is one of the two major celebrations dedicated to the patron saint of Licata, in the heart of the Agrigento province, Sicily. Held annually on the Sunday following Ferragosto, it complements the better-known May 5th festival, sharing the same religious rites, processions, and traditional urn runs.

The origins: the vow against the 1625 plague

The August festival is rooted in a dramatic chapter of the city's history. In June 1625, Sicily was struck by a violent plague epidemic, and Licata was devastated. According to tradition, it was in August that the city was finally freed from the contagion, a miracle attributed to the intercession of Saint Angelo the Martyr, a Carmelite friar linked to the town. As a sign of gratitude, the community renews its vow every year with celebrations that trace the sites affected by the plague, keeping a four-century-old collective memory alive.

The procession and the runs of the urn

The heart of the festival is the procession of the silver urn containing the saint's relics. The fercolo is carried on the shoulders of young, barefoot sailors dressed in white, along a route that winds from the new Cassaro through the old Marina district down to the sea. The most spectacular moment is the runs of the urn: the bearers, guided by helmsmen and preceded by hundreds of barefoot children, sprint with the heavy fercolo for hundreds of meters while the band plays solemn marches. These runs commemorate the ancient flight of the relics, which were carried to safety during raids by Turkish pirates along the southern Sicilian coast.

The bond with the sea

In August, the festival also renews Licata's historic bond with the sea: the fercolo is traditionally brought to the beach for the blessing of the sea, a gesture through which the fishing community invokes protection and abundance. The days are marked by masses, vespers, fireworks near the port, and the classic August fair, with stalls enlivening the town's squares.

A living tradition

Organized by the Diocesan Sanctuary of Sant'Angelo, run by the Carmelite Order, and supported by the Municipality of Licata, the mid-August feast unites religious devotion with civic identity. It is an event that draws back emigrants for their holidays, tourists, and the faithful, capturing the history, faith, and maritime culture of this corner of the Agrigento region in just a few days.