Festivals are part and parcel of the cultural fabric and range from small village affairs to highly organised events lasting several weeks – most notably, the Festival della Valle D’Itria in Martina Franca which, after some 30 years, is now one of the leading musical events in the South.

Every town is happy to compete with the next in throwing a party of some description each year from wine, beer, pizza or traditional food festas and sagras, to Pagan festivals and carnivals. Religious feast days provide a particularly good excuse to celebrate! However, local towns do coordinate their efforts so you can attend all the events should you want to!

We particularly like the Moustache and Beard World Championships which take place in Grottaglie in August but all the festivals are family friendly affairs where even the smallest of children can be seen running around into the small hours. Below are just a handful of some of the better known events which take place annually.

The Putignano Carnival
26 Dec 2008 - 24 Feb 2009
(various dates)
Putignano
The Putignano Carnival, with its famous parade of papier-mache floats, is both the longest and one of the oldest carnivals in the world.

Procession of the Penitents
Mar 2009 (annual)
Noicattaro
A quasi-medieval atmosphere invades the sleepy little town of Noicattaro for Easter, as penitents shuffle through the streets carrying heavy crosses.

Festival di San Nicola
May 2009 (annual)
Bari
Every year Bari re-enacts the arrival by sea of the body of Saint Nicholas from Turkey in 1087. The "translation" is the centrepiece of the festival, taking the statue from the San Nicola Basilica out to sea and back again.

Cavallo Parato Procession
Brindisi - mid June
The Cavallo Parato is a religious and historical celebration in Brindisi with roots in the Middle Ages. On the day of the Corpus Domini the bishop leads a solemn procession through town and to the beach on a white stallion.

Salt Art Festival
Jul 2009 (annual)
Anfiteatro Piazzolla, Margherita di Savoia
The Salt Art Festival in Margherita di Savoia, a salt mining town, is an annual event combining art, music and science all on the subject of salt.

District Tournament
Aug 2009 (annual)
Campo del Torneo, Oria
The city of Oria re-enacts the tournament of the districts (Torneo dei Rioni) ordered by Frederick II when he passed through the city in 1225. The tournament is preceded by a historical procession where more than 400 actors in costume recreate the medieval atmosphere.

Valle d'Itria Festival
Jul - Aug 2009 (annual)
Martina Franca
The Valle d'Itria Festival is an annual opera and classical music event held in the town of Martina Franca, right in the middle of the Apulian region, loved by critics and scholars and attended by many globetrotting music lovers.

Danza della Spada
mid August
Ruffano

Baffi e Barbe
August
Grottaglie

Maritime Procession
Sep 2009 (annual)
Brindisi
The traditional Maritime Procession takes place once a year in Brindisi, during the celebration of the Saint Protectors of the City, St Teodoro d'Amasea and St Lorenzo da Brindisi.