Piedigrotta Festival: After 25 years, the statue of the Madonna returns to the sea for the procession.

Naples is preparing to rediscover one of its most identifying symbols: the Piedigrotta Festival , registered in the Inventory of the Intangible Heritage of Campania , brings the statue of the Madonna back to the sea after 25 years thanks to the collaboration and support of the Campania Region and Scabec , based on the Cohesion Funds Italy 21/27, with the artistic direction of Benedetto Casillo . The festival, scheduled from September 1 to October 17, 2025 , will be a journey through Neapolitan history, tradition, and spirituality, coinciding with the Jubilee , with a rich program of music, readings, performances, and moments of devotion, with the aim of raising awareness and transmitting the value of this centuries-old tradition to new generations.

The highlight will be September 14 , when Naples will pay homage to the Madonna of Piedigrotta . The day of celebrations will open at 10:30 a.m. with a parade of children in traditional paper costumes from Piazza del Plebiscito. At 6:00 p.m. , a solemn Mass will be celebrated, presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Mimmo Battaglia , in the Church of Santa Lucia a Mare. Finally, at 7:30 p.m., the grand procession with the statue of the Madonna, the embarkation and the evocative crossing of the Gulf of Naples to Mergellina – renewed after a quarter of a century – will arrive at the historic Church of Santa Maria di Piedigrotta , the beating heart of the festival. A performance of musical marches and pieces from the classical Neapolitan tradition will be performed by the young musicians of Canta Suona e Cammina . Further details will be revealed at the event's official press conference , scheduled for September 11 in Naples .

For centuries, in September, the fishermen of Mergellina and Neapolitan devotees have paid homage to the Madonna of Piedigrotta with processions, illuminations, folk songs, traditional instruments such as putipù , triccabballacche , and scetavajasse , and the famous papier-mâché float parade. The festival is also remembered for hosting the Neapolitan song festival, contributing to the spread of the city's musical culture. Alongside the religious events, traditional practices that are still alive will be celebrated: the lighting of the illuminations, the Nine Saturdays ceremony, the evocative Flight of the Goldfinches , the Serenade to the Madonna , and the procession on the sea , a rare event that only occurs every 51 years.

The program of the festival will involve several parishes and sacred spaces in Naples, with a series of cultural events that will bring together artists such as Mario Maglione , Francesco Malapena , Francesca Marini , Antonello Rondi , the Coro La Serenata ; the Maestros Claudio Romano , Franco Ponzo , Ciro Formichella ; the actors Gennaro Morrone , Enza Barra , Luciano Piccolo , who will bring to the stage readings and performances dedicated to the history and myths of the festival.

The Piedigrotta Festival is not only a religious event , but a symbol of Neapolitanness: an intangible heritage that has evolved over the centuries, also cited in the works of Boccaccio and Petrarca, and which today comes back to life as a model of popular festival and tourist attraction, made possible thanks to the contribution of the Campania Region and the passion of Don Piero Milani , parish priest of the Church of Santa Maria di Piedigrotta .