Volunteering Festival

A festival celebrating Irpinia's volunteers

Some village festivals are born from devotion, others from local produce. The Volunteering Festival in Montemiletto, however, is born from a gesture: the act of someone jumping into an ambulance at any hour, donating blood, or learning CPR to help others. It is organized by the "Italo Capobianco" Public Assistance, a local volunteer association affiliated with the national network, which transforms Piazza IV Novembre into a large open-air lounge every summer.

The meaning of the event is clear from its name: bringing an activity that is usually quiet and invisible out of the headquarters and into the community. For a few nights, the square becomes a place to meet, eat together, and dance—a space where those who don't know the association can stop by, ask questions, and perhaps decide to lend a hand.

Three nights in Piazza IV Novembre

The 2026 edition spans three days, from July 31st to August 2nd, held in the heart of Montemiletto. The format is the classic community festival: afternoons and evenings dedicated to families, with activities starting early for children and continuing late into the night with music.

• Friday, July 31st — Inflatable playground open from 7 PM to midnight, a performance by Mr Valium featuring magic, bubbles, and fire, and the traditional briscola tournament with the "500" grand prize.
• Saturday, August 1st — The square turns into a massive open-air dance floor with "Balla in piazza con Fabio's Band".
• Sunday, August 2nd — A Grand Gala evening of group and Latin-American dancing featuring "Passion Dance", followed by a midnight DJ set to close the three-day event.

Music, dance, and entertainment for all ages

The program is designed to include everyone. Children have the inflatables and magic shows; adults have live music and dancing, which remains one of the strongest social bonds in Irpinia during summer evenings. The briscola tournament is the classic event that brings different generations to the same table: it is played seriously, with a prize at stake, but above all, it is a chance to chat.

Food stalls

Every evening is accompanied by food stalls, an essential part of the festival. This is when the event becomes most convivial: dining outdoors at tables set up in the square, enjoying traditional local dishes before the music takes over. Proceeds support the association's activities, from maintaining their vehicle fleet to training projects.

Training, donation, and civic duty

Beyond the entertainment, the Volunteering Festival has always had a practical side. In previous editions, the event has hosted free first aid and BLSD courses open to the public, with hands-on practice directly in the square, as well as blood donation days organized with Frates. It is the most direct way to explain what a volunteer really does, without speeches: by showing it.

Montemiletto, a village in Irpinia

Montemiletto is a hillside town in the province of Avellino, Campania, overlooking the Calore valley amidst the vineyards of Irpinia. The town is dominated by the Della Leonessa Castle and preserves its ancient village layout; the area is part of the production zone for some of the region's most famous wines, from Aglianico to Greco di Tufo and Fiano di Avellino, grown in neighboring towns.

The Volunteering Festival is part of the municipal summer program "Estate Insieme", which gathers initiatives from local associations from July to September: from sports tournaments to the patronal feast of Saint Gaetano da Thiene, and from musical evenings to historical re-enactments organized by the Pro Loco.

Why attend

It is an unpretentious and therefore authentic festival: no tickets, no red carpets, just a town gathering in the square at the end of July. For those visiting Irpinia in the summer, it is a chance to see how a community in the Campanian hinterland works—and to discover that behind three nights of music lies a whole year of quiet work by a group of volunteers.