Wheat Festival
Four days of rural re-enactments in Casali di Faicchio, where the vintage threshing machine returns to work
About Wheat Festival
Wheat as the protagonist in the heart of Sannio
The Wheat Festival takes place every year in late June in the hamlet of Casali di Faicchio, in the municipality of Faicchio, in the province of Benevento, Campania. The event area is located on Via Provinciale, near the parking lot, at the foot of the Matese massif and a few kilometers from the Titerno river: an agricultural landscape that has made wheat its identity for generations.
This is no ordinary festival. The common thread is the re-enactment of the wheat cycle as it was lived in the 1950s in the Sannio hinterland: from plowing to sowing, from harvesting to threshing, through to the transformation of the seed into flour and then into bread and pasta. For four days, the community of Casali brings back to life tools, gestures, and crafts that progress has rendered silent.
The vintage threshing machine returns to work
The most anticipated moment is the starting of the vintage threshing machine, which opens the festival on Friday evening and returns to operation on the final night. People of all ages gather around the machine: those who worked in the fields rediscover a familiar sound, while those born later discover how grain was separated from straw before modern combine harvesters. An exhibition of antique agricultural tools is also set up along the festival area, open for the duration of the event.
Re-enactments, workshops, and biodiversity
- Plowing and sowing re-enacted live, with the participation of local folk groups;
- Harvesting and threshing on the central day of Sunday;
- Children's workshops: in 2026 the "Pizziamo insieme" workshop, in 2025 "From grain to flour" with bread making;
- Taste workshop dedicated to the Matese Rye, a variety protected as a Slow Food Presidium, to highlight the cereal biodiversity of the area.
Saint Isidore, the mass, and the tractor parade
Sunday is the heart of the festival. In the morning, the tractor gathering and parade travel through the town, followed by the Holy Mass in honor of Saint Isidore, patron saint of farmers, and the blessing of the agricultural machinery. It is the moment where the rural and religious dimensions overlap, as has always been the case in the agricultural calendars of the Campanian Apennines.
At the table: local flavors
The food stand is open every evening and offers traditional local cuisine. Recent editions have featured dishes based on local cereals and Marchigiana PGI beef. Wheat, naturally, remains the protagonist in the kitchen, from bread to handmade pasta.
Folk music until late
Every evening ends with music. In 2026, the groups Alti e Bassi, MPS – Movimento Popolare Sannita, I Virtuosi della Tarantella di Montemarano, and, on the final night, Gigione took the stage. In 2025, Taranta 3, Battibotti del Matese, and Rione Junno performed. Tarantella, accordion, and folk singing remain the natural soundtrack of a festival born from the land.
Organizers
The event is organized by the Pro Loco Casali di Faicchio APS together with the Amici del Grano group: associations that over the years have transformed rural memory into a true cultural project, rather than a simple folkloric backdrop. In 2026, the festival reached its eighteenth edition.
Why it's worth the trip
Those who arrive in Casali di Faicchio will not find a rural theme park, but a town that tells its own story. It is also an opportunity to discover the Telesina Valley: the Ducal Castle of Faicchio, the Samnite-era megalithic walls, the Titerno gorges, and the vineyards of Sannio, one of the most interesting wine-growing areas in Campania. A weekend that combines agricultural tradition, popular faith, and good food, just an hour and a half from Naples.
Wheat Festival — edition 2026
The 2026 edition of the Wheat Festival, the eighteenth, was held in Casali di Faicchio from Friday, June 26 to Monday, June 29, in the Via Provinciale parking area, organized by the Pro Loco Casali di Faicchio APS.
The program alternated between re-enactments, workshops, gastronomy, faith, and folk music, with wheat as the common thread from plowing to threshing. The festival opened on Friday evening with the starting of the vintage threshing machine and music by the group Alti e Bassi. Saturday, dedicated to tradition, children, and biodiversity, featured the re-enactment of plowing and sowing, the "Pizziamo insieme" workshop, and a taste workshop on Matese Rye, a Slow Food Presidium, followed in the evening by a show by MPS – Movimento Popolare Sannita.
Sunday, the central day, opened at 9:00 AM with the tractor gathering and parade, continuing with the Holy Mass in honor of Saint Isidore, patron saint of farmers, the blessing of the agricultural machinery, and the re-enactment of harvesting and threshing; in the evening, the tarantella of I Virtuosi della Tarantella di Montemarano. Monday closed the event with the threshing machine back in operation, the food stand, and the concert by Gigione at 10:00 PM. An exhibition of antique agricultural tools was set up for the duration of the festival.
Programme Wheat Festival 2026
18th edition — from Friday, June 26 to Monday, June 29, 2026, Via Provinciale Parking Area, Casali di Faicchio (BN). Exhibition of antique agricultural tools for the duration of the event.
Friday, June 26
- 8:00 PM — opening of the festival with the starting of the vintage threshing machine
- Opening of the food stand
- Folk music with the group Alti e Bassi
Saturday, June 27
Day dedicated to tradition, children, and biodiversity.
- 5:00 PM — re-enactment of plowing and sowing
- Children's workshop "Pizziamo insieme"
- Taste workshop dedicated to Matese Rye, a Slow Food Presidium
- Food stand
- In the evening — show by MPS – Movimento Popolare Sannita
Sunday, June 28
- 9:00 AM — tractor gathering and parade through the town
- Holy Mass in honor of Saint Isidore, patron saint of farmers, with distribution of blessed bread
- Blessing of agricultural machinery
- Re-enactment of harvesting and threshing
- Food stand
- In the evening — I Virtuosi della Tarantella di Montemarano
Monday, June 29
- Operation of the vintage threshing machine
- Food stand with traditional dishes and Marchigiana PGI beef
- 10:00 PM — concert by Gigione
Highlights Wheat Festival 2026
Prices Wheat Festival 2026
Practical information — Wheat Festival
Location
Parking Area of Via Provinciale, Casali hamlet, 82030 Faicchio (BN), Campania.
How to get there
- By car: from the A1 motorway, take the Caianello exit, then the SS372 Telesina towards Benevento, and exit for Faicchio / San Salvatore Telesino; from Benevento, take the SS372 towards Caianello. Parking is available in the festival area and along Via Provinciale.
- By train: the nearest station is Telese-Cerreto Sannita, on the line to Benevento, from where you can continue by car or local bus.
- By plane: Naples Capodichino Airport, about an hour and a half away by car.
Hours
The evenings begin around 8:00 PM with the opening of the food stand and live music; re-enactments take place in the afternoon, while the tractor gathering is scheduled for Sunday morning at 9:00 AM.
Admission and costs
Admission to the event area is free. Food at the stand is for purchase, and the price list is not published online: it is best to inquire directly with the organizers. Some children's workshops require reservations.
Contacts
Pro Loco Casali di Faicchio APS, Via Russi 1, 82030 Faicchio (BN) — phone +39 340 5678331, e-mail [email protected], website prolococasali.com. Updates are also available on the association's Facebook and Instagram pages.
Tips
Wear comfortable shoes: the area is outdoors and partly on beaten earth. Late June evenings in the valley can be cool after sunset, so it is better to bring a light sweater.
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Where does it take place — Wheat Festival
Area Parcheggio di Via Provinciale, Casali di Faicchio
Via Provinciale, Area Parcheggio, frazione Casali, 82030 Faicchio