Naples’ event calendar is anchored by religious festivals, particularly those honoring the city’s patron saint, San Gennaro. The city also hosts a major pizza festival and one of Italy’s best New Year’s Eve celebrations. Dates for religious festivals are fixed; confirm any schedule changes on the Comune di Napoli website before travel.
Naples Events and Festivals Calendar
Feast of San Gennaro , September 19, May (First Saturday), December 16
The Feast of San Gennaro on September 19 is Naples’ most important religious event. Thousands gather in and around the Duomo di Napoli to witness the liquefaction of San Gennaro’s blood, a vial of dried blood that is believed to miraculously turn liquid. The ceremony takes place inside the Cathedral at 09:00, 12:00, and 18:30, with the main event around 10:00.
Entry is free but arrive by 08:00 for a spot inside; the piazza outside has large screens. The liquefaction also occurs on the Saturday before the first Sunday in May and on December 16, though September 19 is the main celebration. According to local belief, failure of the blood to liquefy portends disaster , it last failed to liquefy in 2016 (the year of the Amatrice earthquake). The surrounding streets fill with food stalls and processions.
Napoli Pizza Village , June (10 Days)
One of the world’s largest pizza festivals, held along the Lungomare Caracciolo seafront promenade. Approximately 50 pizzerias set up stalls, each serving margherita and marinara pizzas at a fixed price of 5 EUR. The festival runs for 10 days in June (exact dates announced in May on pizzavillage.it). Hours: 18:00 to midnight daily.
Entry is free. The site includes live music stages, pizza-making demonstrations, and a competition for the best pizza. Expect long queues at popular stalls (Sorbillo, Da Michele, Starita) after 20:00 on weekends. A pizza-and-beer combo runs approximately 8 EUR. It is the cheapest and most efficient way to sample pizzas from multiple top pizzerias in one evening.
Maggio dei Monumenti (May of Monuments) , May
A month-long cultural festival organized by the Comune di Napoli. Approximately 200 normally closed churches, palaces
archaeological sites open to the public for free guided tours. The schedule is published in late April at comune.napoli.it. Tours are in Italian; English tours require advance booking and fill quickly. The festival also includes evening concerts in historic courtyards and cloisters. This is the single best opportunity to see Naples’ “hidden” churches and private palazzi that are otherwise inaccessible.
New Year’s Eve in Naples , December 31
Naples celebrates New Year’s Eve with a city-wide, hours-long fireworks display that is both spectacular and chaotic. Unlike organized municipal displays in other cities, Naples’ fireworks are set off by residents from rooftops, balconies, and streets across the city. The display runs from approximately 23:30 to 02:00.
The best viewing points are the Lungomare Caracciolo seafront, Castel dell’Ovo, and the Certosa di San Martino on the Vomero hill. Wear eye protection if you are on the streets , spent firework debris falls from above. The city organizes a large public concert in Piazza del Plebiscito starting around 22:00. Hotel rooms for December 31 book out months in advance and are priced at 2 to 3 times normal rates.
Plan your dates using our best time to visit Naples guide and the Naples weather by month data.
