Volunteering Festival

Two days of solidarity in the heart of Irpinia

The Volunteering Festival is the annual event held at the end of June where the municipality of Grottaminarda celebrates those who dedicate their time to others. Promoted by the Pubblica Assistenza Grottaminarda ODV, an association affiliated with ANPAS that has been active in the Ufita Valley for over twenty years, the event transforms Piazzale San Pio into an open square where emergency response, health prevention, and conviviality meet. We are in the province of Avellino, in the hinterland of Campania, just minutes from the motorway exit connecting Irpinia to Naples and Puglia.

Twenty-one years of civic commitment

Born in the early 2000s as a meeting point between volunteers and the community, the festival reached its 21st edition in 2026, held under the aegis of Cesvolab CSV Irpinia-Sannio ETS and with the patronage of the municipal administration. Over the years, the formula has solidified: not just a simple fair, but a two-day event alternating between celebration and concrete training opportunities, with the goal of raising awareness about the world of volunteering and attracting new recruits, particularly young people, to emergency and assistance activities.

The BLSD course, the most anticipated moment

The heart of the event is the BLSD course (Basic Life Support and Defibrillation), which is completely free and open to the public. A full morning dedicated to cardiopulmonary resuscitation maneuvers and the use of the automated external defibrillator, led by the trainers of the Pubblica Assistenza in the Sala Thomas Menino. As the organizers remind us, knowing how to intervene in the first few minutes of a cardiac arrest can make the difference between life and death: hence the choice to put training at the center of the festival, with online registration and limited spots that sell out quickly every year.

Music, food stalls, and entertainment

Alongside the training, the festival retains the popular soul of Irpinian summer evenings. On both days, food stalls open in the evening, offering local dishes and specialties to be enjoyed outdoors in the square. Live music accompanies the first evening with a concert, while Sunday afternoon is reserved for children and families, with games, shows, and animation workshops. It is the association's chosen way to combine fun with the messages of prevention and solidarity it promotes all year round.

The Corridanpas, the grand finale

Closing the event is the Corridanpas, a non-competitive, lighthearted race involving volunteers, associations, and citizens along the square. It is the most photographed moment of the two days: uniforms, banners, and emergency vehicles mingle with the public in a finale that summarizes the spirit of the event, made of lightheartedness but also of organizational pride.

Grottaminarda and the Ufita Valley

Grottaminarda is one of the reference centers of the Ufita Valley, an area of eastern Irpinia deeply marked by the 1980 earthquake and now crossed by major infrastructure projects. Piazzale San Pio, a large open space in the town's urban fabric, has hosted Grottaminarda's summer events for years. Visitors from out of town can combine the festival with a walk to the Castello d'Aquino, which overlooks the historic center, and a tour through the wine-growing hills of the province of Avellino.

Why attend

• Free admission to all activities, including the BLSD course.
• Concrete skills that can save a life, learned in just a few hours.
• Open-air evenings with live music and local cuisine.
• Afternoons of entertainment designed for families and children.
• An opportunity to get to know the world of public assistance and the ANPAS network up close.