Waiting for the New Year (New Year's Eve in the Square)

New Year's Eve in the square in Martina Franca

For years, New Year's Eve in Martina Franca has had its beating heart in Piazza XX Settembre, the spacious area on the edge of the historic center that fills with people every December 31st for the «Waiting for the New Year» event. Organized by the municipal administration, the gathering is one of the most popular public celebrations in the Itria Valley, turning this town in the province of Taranto into a grand open-air stage for the countdown to the new year.

A free event in the heart of the city

The format is that of a popular festival with free admission: a stage set up in the square, lights, music, and thousands of people gathering, including local families, young people, and tourists vacationing in Puglia during the holidays. The choice of Piazza XX Settembre, just a stone's throw from the whitewashed alleys and baroque palaces that have made Martina Franca famous, provides a scenic backdrop for the collective midnight toast.

Music, entertainment, and the countdown

The Martina Franca New Year's program alternates between different genres and styles throughout the evening: from the town band opening the festivities with the greatest hits of Italian music, to live concerts, and DJ sets that keep the crowd dancing well past midnight. Unmissable moments of cabaret and comedy—the city's trademark—and the grand toast that marks the transition to the new year in front of the entire square.

The connection to the Cabaret Festival

Martina Franca is known throughout Puglia as one of the capitals of comedy thanks to the historic Cabaret Festival-City of Martina Franca: it is no surprise, therefore, that laughter is a central component of New Year's Eve, with the presence of comedians and presenters linked to the local and national cabaret scene.

Not just December 31st

The public celebration on December 31st is distinct from the traditional New Year's Concert on January 1st, promoted by the Paolo Grassi Foundation with a symphony orchestra, waltzes, and opera arias: two complementary events that make Martina Franca an ideal destination for those who want to experience the end-of-year holidays between popular entertainment and great music.

Why attend

• Free public festival in the center of one of the most beautiful villages in the Itria Valley
• Live music, DJ sets, and cabaret until late at night
• Collective midnight countdown in Piazza XX Settembre
• A few steps from the baroque historic center of Martina Franca