Walnut Festival

A tradition that smells of autumn

The Walnut Festival is the most iconic event in Scisciano, a small town in the Nola area of the Metropolitan City of Naples, Campania. Born in the late nineties, the festival reached its twentieth edition in 2016 and its twenty-second in 2018, becoming one of the gastronomic events that defined October in Scisciano for two decades. The heart of the festival has always been Piazza XX Settembre, transformed for the occasion into a large open-air kitchen with stalls, long tables, and a stage for evening performances.

The walnut, an iconic fruit of the farming world

The hills and countryside of the Nola area have a long history with the walnut tree, which has accompanied the agricultural landscape for centuries alongside vineyards, vegetable gardens, and orchards. The festival organizers have always emphasized this bond: the walnut is not just an ingredient, but a story of a rural world made of hand-harvesting, sun-drying, and recipes passed down through families.

• First courses with walnut sauces and pestos, the specialty that made the festival famous
• Traditional main courses, from eggplant parmigiana to meatballs, served with seasonal side dishes
• Walnut-based desserts, from artisanal gelato to sweets prepared by local home cooks
• Nocino and artisanal liqueurs, a must-have to finish the meal

Folk music, cabaret, and performances in the square

Alongside the gastronomy, the Walnut Festival has always reserved ample space for live music and entertainment. Past editions have featured groups of bottari, tammurriata ensembles, Neapolitan singer-songwriters, and artists from the Campanian comedy scene: over the years, performers such as Gerardo Amarante and Spaccapaese, Tommaso Primo, Giovanni Block, and Il Bellavista have graced the stage in Piazza XX Settembre. There have also been performances by local dance schools and moments dedicated to families, with entertainment and games for children.

The format is that of a classic Campanian village festival: stalls open in the evening from 8 PM, with lunch service available on Sundays by reservation, attracting crowds that have long exceeded the town's borders.

From the autumn harvest to the Christmas calendar

For about twenty years, the festival was the quintessential autumn event in Scisciano, held between the first and third week of October to coincide with the walnut harvest. More recently, the event has moved to the Christmas season: the 2025 edition was held on Tuesday, December 23rd, just before Christmas Eve, with a program designed to kick off the holidays. After all, the walnut is also a star of Campanian Christmas pastry, from roccocò to mustaccioli, and the move to December has allowed the festival to intertwine with Advent traditions.

Scisciano and the Nola area

With just over six thousand inhabitants, Scisciano is a town in the Nola area characterized by several historic farmhouses and a heritage of churches and estates that testify to the territory's agricultural vocation. The town sits about thirty meters above sea level in a fertile plain between Mount Vesuvius and the Nola mountains, a short distance from destinations like Nola, Palma Campania, Sarno, and Marigliano. Those arriving for the festival can easily combine their visit with an itinerary through the Neapolitan hinterland, which is less traveled than the coast but rich in folk festivals, local products, and historical landmarks.

What to expect from the 2026 edition

At the moment, neither the dates nor the program for the 2026 edition have been announced. As the event is organized by local associations, information is usually released a few weeks in advance through the festival's social media channels and announcements from the Municipality of Scisciano. Those wishing to attend should keep an eye on the official Facebook page in the weeks leading up to the usual period so as not to miss the opening of reservations.