Calabria events and festivals

In Calabria every village celebrates the feast of its Patron Saint that is an event accompanied by remarkable folk shows.

In Tropea the inhabitants celebrate the Madonna of Romania Feast on the 8th September and Madonna dell’Isola on the 15th August.

Tropea festivals

• Festival of the Red Tropea’s onion and of the azure fish on the 27th July
• Fair of the Virgin Mary’s Annunciation on the 23 March
• Folk festival of I Tri Cruci on 3rd May
• Procession of dead Christ (Good Friday)
• Saint Antonio on the 13th July
• Carmine’s Virgin Mary on the 16th July
• Saint Gerardo on the 16th October
• Little market of Artigianato in Piazza (Galluppi small square in the summer period)
• Cheese, fish, fruit and vegetables market (Every day in Contura locality)

Events in other Calabria villages

• Fishes fest on the 27th July - Pizzo Calabro
• Beer fest on the 3rd August - S.Domenica di Ricadi
• Festival of the fishes and crushed ice drink festival on the 3rd August - Parghelia
• "Red Onion Festival", La Sagra della Cipolla Rossa: every year on 13th of August. The festival starts in the mid-afternoon with a variety of games are played in Piazza Marconi, the main square of the village:
  The traditional ‘Pignata’ Tournament in which the contestants are blindfolded and, helped by bystanders, use a long wooden stick to break one or more pignatas, or terra-cotta pots, which are suspended from a string. Pignatas are sometimes filled with water. The ‘Bumbuleju’ Race is for women of all ages. Contestants … race from one end of the square to the other, carrying the terra-cotta pot on their heads without using their hands. Other games include the Egg Race, the Sack Race, the Mini-marathon, the Onion Race, the Cheese-rolling tournament; Typical onion-dish sampling starts at dinner time. At exactly midnight the ‘Camejuzzu i Focu’ dance is performed. The traditional fireworks display closes the festival.
• "Ice-Cream Festival": each summer, in July.
• Tipical product’s fest on 13th August - Zambrone
• Fileja fest (speciality of pasta) on the 13th August - Briatico.
• Zippula fest (kind of pancake) on the 22th August - Parghelia