Venticano Theatre Festival

A theatre festival in the heart of Irpinia

The Venticano Theatre Festival is the summer theatre season hosted by the Municipality of Venticano, a village of just over two thousand inhabitants in the province of Avellino, Campania. The festival takes place in the Cavea Teatrale, an open-air amphitheatre that becomes the cultural landmark of the entire Calore Valley during the summer: for years, it has hosted prose, classical theatre, and opera, attracting audiences from the neighbouring towns of Irpinia and Sannio.

The formula is simple and effective: a curated selection of events featuring well-known names, accessible prices, and the option to purchase a season pass for the entire programme. The result is a festival that brings high-calibre performances, usually reserved for city theatres, to a small-town setting.

The 2026 Programme

The 2026 edition is the 'jewel' of the municipal summer calendar and features eight theatrical events scheduled between August and early September. Among the shows already announced and on sale:

• Tuesday, August 4 — Anna Mazzamauro in 'Com'è ancora umano lei', the actress's ironic and poignant tribute to the Fantozzi saga;
• Thursday, August 6 — 'Le Verdi Speranze', a comedy staged at the Cavea Teatrale;
• Thursday, August 20 — Debora Caprioglio in 'Non fui gentile fui Gentileschi', a theatrical portrait of the painter Artemisia Gentileschi;
• Wednesday, August 26 — 'Homer's Odyssey', a joint event with the VeliaTeatro Festival, which has chosen Venticano for its Irpinia stop;
• Sunday, September 6 — 'La prova del n9ve' with Maurizio Casagrande, a show blending music, theatre, and Neapolitan comedy.

The Municipality has also announced Paolo Caiazza, a well-known face of the Campanian comedy scene, among the performers. Remaining dates are being announced progressively by the municipal administration and the official ticket office.

The Irpinia stop of the VeliaTeatro Festival

One of the most interesting aspects of the 2026 edition is the collaboration with the VeliaTeatro Festival, a historic classical theatre festival held in the archaeological site of Velia, in the province of Salerno, which celebrates its twenty-ninth edition in 2026. The shared evening on August 26 brings the ancient and Mediterranean repertoire that defines Velia to Venticano: a bridge between two Campanian provinces and two ways of experiencing open-air theatre.

Inside 'ViviAMO Venticano'

The festival is part of the official 'ViviAMO Venticano — Summer Events 2026' programme, a calendar of over two months of initiatives accompanying residents and visitors from July to September. Alongside the theatre performances, the municipal schedule includes concerts, children's activities, traditional tournaments, tastings, a film festival dedicated to Mario Puzo, the 'Sarabanda Venticanese', and the historic Ham, Wine, and Lamb Festival, now in its forty-seventh year. Events are spread across Piazza Monumento ai Caduti, Piazza Santa Maria, Piazza Pio, and the Cavea Teatrale.

Completing the town's theatrical scene is INVENTICANO, the flash playwriting contest launched in 2026 and organised by the Cicolocchio association: companies receive the theme in the morning and perform that same evening in the Municipal Theatre arena. A testament to the theatrical vitality of this small Irpinian town.

Why it's worth the trip

• A city-level programme in a village of two thousand inhabitants, with tickets starting from 10 euros;
• The open-air Cavea Teatrale, with renovated seating and a schedule alternating between prose, classics, and opera;
• The chance to combine an evening show with the discovery of Irpinian food and wine, from Venticano ham to the wines of the Taurasi and Greco di Tufo areas and the hills of the Calore Valley;
• A festival that engages with other Campanian events, starting with the VeliaTeatro Festival of Cilento.