Secondigliano Carnival

A neighborhood festival in the heart of Secondigliano

Secondigliano is a neighborhood in the northern outskirts of the Municipality of Naples, in Campania, which in recent years has embraced the Carnival as a collective opportunity to tell its own story. There are no monumental floats or grand stages here: the festival is born from the ground up—from schools, parishes, and local street associations—taking the simple, ancient form of a masked parade that winds through the local streets.

The unique feature of the Secondigliano Carnival is its double parade: the neighborhood is traversed twice in a single day, first in the morning by primary school children and then in the afternoon by the parish community. While the organizers and atmosphere differ, both processions share the same urban route and the same spirit of reclaiming public spaces.

The school parade: color and legality

The morning parade is organized by the 30th 'Giuseppe Parini' School District, a historic nursery and primary school on Via Fosso del Lupo. Hundreds of pupils in costume, accompanied by teachers and families, march along a route that touches Via Paolo De Matteis, Via Dante, and Via Padre Gaetano Errico, concluding in Piazza Luigi Di Nocera, the heart of the neighborhood's historic center.

The focus is not purely recreational: past editions have centered on themes of legality, respect for rules, and civic coexistence, expressed through posters, costumes, and slogans prepared in class in the weeks leading up to the event. The initiative, originally launched as 'Carnevale Parini in Settima', has received the patronage of the Seventh Municipality of Naples and the support of local entities such as the Missionaries of the Sacred Hearts and the Combatants and Veterans associations, Il Casale, and Larsec.

The parish parade: music, games, and costumes

In the afternoon, the festival changes protagonists. The second parade starts from the Santi Cosma e Damiano parish and winds through the main arteries of the neighborhood—Via V. Di Maro, Vico Lungo Ponte, Via Dante, Corso Italia, and Via Ernesto Pascal—ending at the Sacri Cuori parish. It is organized by a network of local stakeholders: the two parishes, the Larsec association, the Secondigliano ASD CosDam, and KiteStramurga.

• Live music and entertainment along the entire route
• Games for children and teenagers of all ages
• Prize for the most original costume
• Free participation, open to all families and residents

A recent but deeply rooted tradition

The first records of this neighborhood Carnival date back to 2023, when the Santi Cosma e Damiano parish and the CosDam association organized a party in Piazza Di Nocera on Shrove Tuesday, featuring music, games, and treats for children, along with the traditional prize for the most creative costume. Since then, the event has grown year by year, evolving into a double parade that involves schools, parishes, sports associations, and municipal institutions.

Carnival in the Seventh Municipality

The Secondigliano Carnival is not an isolated event: on the same day, the Seventh Municipality of Naples comes alive with multiple parades, from Miano to Secondigliano, in a mosaic of initiatives involving dozens of local schools. It is one of the most vibrant expressions of the Neapolitan 'social carnival' which, in the city's suburbs, blends popular tradition, pedagogy, and civic engagement.

What to expect

Those arriving in Secondigliano on Carnival day will find a neighborhood that stops and takes to the streets: confetti, drums, homemade costumes, improvised stalls, and balconies overlooking the procession. This is not a tourist attraction, and that is precisely its value: it is a community festival that reclaims its own streets for a day, with children leading the way.