Zampognarea

Zampognarea, the sounds of Christmas in Catania

Zampognarea is the folk music festival that has accompanied the Christmas season in Catania, Sicily, for over twenty years. Dedicated to the zampogna, bagpipes, and traditional instruments of the holiday season, the festival celebrates the musical identity of the Mediterranean through concerts, exhibitions, workshops, book presentations, and multidisciplinary performances. Promoted by the Associazione AreaSud in collaboration with the Associazione Darshan, and under the artistic direction of Maurizio Cuzzocrea, the event is supported by the Ministry of Culture and regional Sicilian institutions.

A widespread stage in the heart of the city

More than just a concert series, Zampognarea is an itinerary that winds through the city of Catania: the Diocesan Museum on Via Etnea, historic churches such as San Pio X, Sant'Anna, and Santa Chiara, as well as theaters and cultural spaces like the Tinni Tinni Arts Club. In this way, the festival rediscovers the architectural and devotional heritage of Catania, returning folk music to the places that have historically hosted it, from pastoral novenas to Christmas carols.

Tradition and modernity

The programming blends ancient repertoires with new languages: from novenas performed with zampogne, bagpipes, accordions, and guitars, to symphonic and choral concerts, and even multimedia and electronic experiments that reinterpret the sonic roots of the South. Alongside the performances, the festival offers exhibitions on wind instruments from around the world, folk instrument-making workshops for children and teenagers, and publishing presentations on the world of the zampogna.

A festival for the whole city

• Concerts of folk, sacred, and contemporary music
• Exhibitions dedicated to the zampogna and bagpipes of the world
• Instrument-making workshops for younger generations
• Gatherings, readings, and book presentations
• Numerous events with free admission

Catania and its tradition

Included in the calendar of festivities of the Metropolitan City of Catania, Zampognarea highlights one of the most authentic expressions of Sicilian folk culture, linked to the sound of the zampogna during the weeks of Advent and Christmas. It is an opportunity for residents and visitors alike to experience winter in Catania through music, art, and devotion, discovering corners of the historic center and listening to sounds that belong to the collective memory of the Mediterranean.