Festival & Events Guide

Probably the largest event in the Salento winter calander, the ‘Fòcara’ (a 25m high bonfire) is lit every year in the small town of Novoli (about a 25 min drive from Lecce), attracting huge crowds keen to enjoy the fireworks, food, music and dancing.

See more about it on their official website here.

Usually held in the second week of January.

Senza Paura (Without Fear in English) festival features some of the best Italian and International theatre companies, as well as exhibitions and installations and a rich selection of creative workshops all held around the city and in Lecce’s largest Theatres (including Paisiello Theatre, Apollo Theatre, Carlo V Castle, Manifatture Knos).

For more details see their website here. Usually held in the last week of December and the first week of January.

Held in the small town of Cutrofiano (about a 35 minute drive from Lecce), this historical winter celebration includes a bonfire, a procession through the town as well as food, music and dancing.

Usually on 17th February.

‘Mi sento male’ roughly translates to I don’t feel good, so… if you were big into Fall Out Boy & Dashboard Confessional: this could be the festival for you. The bill usually consists of Italian indie rock acts, the winter version of the festival is only one or two nights in February (there’s a much larger festival in the summer).

You can find out more on their FB page here.

Alba dei Popoli (Dawn of the People) is so named because the sunrise in Otranto is the first sunrise in Italy (Otranto is the easternmost point of Italy). Hense NYE is deemed extra important as the New Year arrives in Otranto before anywhere else (in Italy).

Expect large crowds, street food, and big concert.

More on the Otranto City Council website here

Lecce’s Christmas tree goes up in Piazza Santa’oronzo in December, as well as market stalls selling various tat in both Piazzas Oronzo & Mazzini.

Don’t miss the full scale nativity scene outside duomo, complete with baby Jesus, Mary & Jez, the kings, shepards and co... all set in the salento countryside, with olive and lemon trees and mini trulli.

The Bluebeat (Legendary Lecce Craft Beer bar) brings together beers from all over Salento & further afield to kick off the spring/summer season. Held at Tagghiate Urban Factory events space (a beautiful old converted stone quarry), expect a big selection of craft beer taps, street food, and rock n roll music.

More on there insta page here.

Usually held in the first weekend of May.

Large Italian book festival from June - September. For more info see their website here.

Firework display, fairground rides, market stalls, local food, folk dancing (pizzica). Throughout the town expect hundreds of festival lights and local artists to open their doors and display various paintings and sculptures. Galatina is a 30 minute drive from Lecce.

Classic Italian patron saint festival including magical lights, street food, live music held in the town of Lequile (about 15 minutes drive from Lecce).

At the time of writing the town council has no offical FB/Insta page but you can follow the dudes who organise the statue procession here.

Cortili Aperti (open courtyards) is the Italian equivalent of a garden show with over 30 homes, places, courtyards, gardens, opening their doors with displays, live music, exhibitions and guided tours (including in English in some).

For Lecce City, follow the Comune insta page here. (NB also the event in Ruffano, 45 mins drive from Lecce, involves a wine tasting in the evening, for details follow their FB page here)

Usually held in the third weekend of May.

World famous classical artists perform at this prestigious festival curated by Beatrice Rana. Broadcast live nationally on Italian Classical Radio.

See more on their official website here.

Independent music festival that brings rock, pop, hip hop artists & DJ’s from all over Italy/Europe, as well as some British/American/Canadian artists.

See more on their official website here.

Jazz festival with events in various towns around Lecce/Salento (Puglia) across July and August.

Launched in 2006 in the small Salento town of Sogliano Cavour by saxophonist and Artistic Director Raffaele Casarano with the aim of bringing Jazz into rural areas. Since then the festival has grown and attracts Jazz artists and fans from all over.

For more info see their website here.

A festival of ceramics, street food, and courtyard displays, in the small town of San Pietro in Lama - about a 15-minute drive from Lecce. See more on their FB page here.

‘Mi sento male’ roughly translates to I don’t feel good, so… if you were big into Fall Out Boy & Dashboard Confessional: this could be the festival for you. The bill usually consists of Italian indie rock acts over two or three weeks in July and August. Held in Parco Gondar, Gallipoli (35 mins drive from Lecce).

You can find out more on their FB page here.

Legendary local festival (of Glastonbury status in Italy), televised on Rai (Italian state broadcaster, like the BBC) held in the small town of Melpignano (about 25 mins drive south of Lecce).

Free entry, extremely busy (expect a crowd in the tens of thousands) but unmissable event for any serious muso. See their website here.

Special all night train service usually runs from Lecce to Melpignano.

Large Craft Beer Festival at Castello Volante, in the town of Coriglano di Otranto about 20 minutes drive from Lecce.

Castello Vollante is an absolutely beautiful castle, a stunning location to spend a warm summer evening drinking a range of delicious beers.

See their FB page here.

3-day religious and cultural festival for the patron saint of Lecce. The main roads outside Castello Carlo V are closed to market stalls selling sweets and…well lots of cheap tat. There is a large firework display usually on Saturday at midnight. Expect at least two nights of concerts in Piazza Libertini with a mix of local artists and one big regional or national name. And of course, no Italian patron saint festival would be complete without a procession from the duomo (cathedral) through the old city with hordes of dignities in various outfits.

Large pop music festival.

See their website here.

Classic Salento night of festivities with locally produced food, wine and lots of live music. Large programme of childrens events in the early evening, followed by local folk dancing and full concert.

One of the principle events of the summer calendar in Salento.

Specchia is a 50 minute drive from Lecce.

Classic Italian patron saint festival including magical lights, street food, live music held in the town of Cavallino (about 10 minutes drive from Lecce).

Link to official FB page here.

Classic Italian patron saint festival including magical lights, street food, live music held in the town of Trepuzzi (about 15 minutes drive from Lecce).

Link to official FB page here.

Festival of ceramics usually held in the second week of August in the small town of Cutrofiano (about a 35 minute drive from Lecce). Large displays of pottery and ceramics are the name of the day, along with ample market stalls for buying hand made/artisan pottery, as well as street food, music & dancing.

More info on their FB here and their website here.

Organised annualy by the Fiori di Fuoco Cineclub, this wonderful film festival brings independent films to Lecce as well as screening cult classics.

See more on the Lecce Film Festival website here.

A range of top class piano concerts are staged in scenic locations across Lecce.

Find out more on their website here.

I festival dedicated to the pommergrante

Link to official FB page here.

EPPOI is a multidisciplinary festival spread across the squares and streets of the San Pio district of Lecce.

During the day-time there are plenty and games and worshops for both adults and kids with a range of music and street food across small stages and cafes during the evenings.

More on their FB page here.

Classic Italian patron saint festival including magical lights, street food, live music held in the town of Melendugno (about 30 minutes drive from Lecce).

Link to official FB page here.

Independent film festival based in Tricase (about 45 minutes from Lecce) usually held in the third week of September.

More on their website here.

Part of the ‘Fiera di San Francesco’ which runs from the end of September to early October, this night celebrates peppers & chilies. Expect rough n ready bread rolls full of slow cooked peppers/chilies + plus a concert, usually featuring a famous local pizzica artist (folk music).

Organised by the local convents, and held in the small town of Scorrano (about a 45 min drive from Lecce). See more on their FB page here.

Novemebr 11th is San Martino, a day that celebrates vino novello (‘new wine’). Traditionally grapes are harvested in September, after which they go through the wine making process and the first bottles are ready to taste in early November, hense to locals wait for San Martino to see how the new wine will be.

Celebrated across all of Puglia (and some other regions of Italy too), winemakers & farmers often open their doors to guests; and families, even if they don’t produce wine, open a bottle and drink it with a lavish dinner, usually including meat, pittule (fried balls of dough), in season rape (similar to tender-stem broccoli but bitter) and roasted chestnuts.

Leverano is one of the largest producing wine towns in Salento (about a 30 minute drive from Lecce), their main celebration of Vino Novello, which can be held as early as the end of October, follow the Pro Loco FB page here.

Large four day beer festival held in a marquee in the town of San Michele Salentino (about an hour and ten minutes drive north from Lecce).

Drinks, live music and dancing. See more on their FB page here.

Described as ‘La festa delle Melagrane’ (The Pomegranate Festival), expect 3 days of delicious street food (much of which will involve pomegranates), as well as live music (expect at least one big regional name to headline), dancing and general good vibes.

More on their FB page here, Palmariggi is a half hour drive from Lecce. Usually held on the second weekend of October.