Terzigno Carnival

A community carnival at the foot of Mount Vesuvius

The Terzigno Carnival is the most popular winter event in Terzigno, a town in the Metropolitan City of Naples nestled on the slopes of Mount Vesuvius, in Campania. For a few days, the town's main streets are closed to traffic and turned into an open-air stage: masked groups, marching bands, choreographed performances, and allegorical floats built by local committees parade between the houses, accompanied by hundreds of families following the procession on foot.

The event is promoted by the Terzigno Carnival Association, chaired by Vincenzo Ranieri, with the patronage of the Municipality of Terzigno. In 2025, the festival reached its twenty-fourth edition, a testament to a tradition now deeply rooted in the town's calendar and sustained year after year by local volunteers.

Committees and allegorical floats

The Terzigno Carnival is not organized by a single entity, but is born from the collaboration of several local groups that spend weeks building the floats and preparing costumes. Working alongside the lead association are:

• the I Figli del Vesuvio committee, a folk group made up of local youth;
• the National Committee;
• the Happy Youth Association.

Each edition revolves around one or more themed floats, handcrafted and brought to life by performers and dancers. In 2026, the La Belle Époque float created by I Figli del Vesuvio traveled through the town featuring choreography by the Marakaibo dance school, while in 2025 the parade was led by a float inspired by Alice in Wonderland.

The route through the town

The parades traditionally start at the intersection of Via Cavour and Via Zabatta and head up the central axis of Terzigno along Via Carlo Alberto and Corso Leonardo da Vinci. From there, the routes vary from day to day: some processions continue along Corso Alessandro Volta to the Boccia al Mauro square, while others divert onto Via Giuseppe Verdi, Viale Michelangelo, and Via Fiume, ending in Piazza Troiano Caracciolo del Sole. The arrival points become the heart of the celebration, featuring entertainment, music, and activities for children.

A festival designed for families

The Terzigno Carnival has a distinctly family-oriented spirit: local schools prepare the masked groups, children follow the floats along the entire route, and performances and games are scheduled during the stops. It is a free, open-access event that unites different generations and is described by organizers as a moment of collective identity rather than just simple entertainment.

Terzigno and the Vesuvian territory

Terzigno is located within the perimeter of the Vesuvius National Park, in an agricultural area known for its vineyards and typical products from the eastern side of the volcano. The carnival is part of a town calendar rich in popular festivals and, along with summer food festivals, represents one of the best opportunities to discover the town and its community life. Its proximity to Naples, Pompeii, and other Vesuvian towns makes it easily accessible even for those arriving from further away.

Traffic and safety

For the parades, the Municipality issues an annual ordinance banning parking and closing roads to traffic along the entire route, with forced removal of parked vehicles. The service is coordinated by the Municipal Police together with civil protection and volunteer associations. Those arriving by car are advised to park outside the parade route and reach the center on foot.