The Ferragosto weekend promises a wealth of events. Food and wine festivals, patron saint celebrations, folklore, music and traditions from North to South of Italy.
We have selected the ten events with the most tempting dishes and juiciest specialties. From Mantuan pumpkin to strozzapreti, from sheep chops to the Marsican “ciammella,” here is where to go in the weekend of August 14-16, 2026.
Festival of Festivals in Fornace (LC)
From local artisanal crafts to the region’s enogastronomic excellence, the Sagra delle Sagre held in Fornace, between the municipalities of Barzio and Pasturo (LC), has been going on for a week and ends on Sunday, August 16, representing a showcase to valorize tradition, delight palates and reveal the best of local culture. The festival began sixty years ago in Valsassina, when someone conceived the idea of bringing together the village fairs into one grand event. This is the 61st edition, and for the final three days it features food stalls starting at 10 in the morning, an aperitif starting at 6 PM and music every evening (Friday August 14 after 11 PM the After-Festival continues).
Plodar Fest in Sappada (UD)
The event kicked off on Wednesday, August 12, with the eleventh edition of “Plodar Fest,” the grand beer-based celebration organized in Sappada. What the loggers propose until Sunday, August 16, is the eleventh edition of a festival that has become an indispensable moment of Friulian Ferragosto. The opening, as tradition, was entrusted to the opening parade through the town center, featuring the wagon of the great cask with the master brewer, the Rollatn of Sappada, many children in traditional costumes, the Band of Pozzuolo del Friuli and the little folkloric group “Holzhockar.” Each day, starting at 10, inside the thousand-square-meter tent in locality Eibn set up in Oktoberfest style, there is guaranteed a gastronomic service and rivers of beer drawn directly from the casks.
The Goose Tajarin Festival in San Candido (AL)
The Goose Tajarin festival with goose ragù in San Candido di Murisengo is now in its 16th edition. This year’s program is rich with activities: during the four days of festivities in the evening the charity stand will always be active, a small train for a night tour through the town, bocce competitions in baraonda. Every evening the gastronomy stand offers local specialties and more: besides the now famous Tajarin with goose ragù you can also enjoy goose salami with mashed potatoes and for those who do not love “goose” there will be fried fish, friciula with a board of cold cuts, Piedmontese Fassona beef tartare, mixed grill (ribs, rustic bread, porchetta and tomino) and much more, for street food lovers there will be a goose sandwich or a hamburger. The desserts will satisfy the most demanding palates, with Murisengo hazelnut cake, stuffed peaches or panna cotta. Every evening you can dance or simply listen to good music with well-known bands.
Brisinoinfesta in Brisino di Stresa (VB)
From August 14 to 16, 2026, an unmissable Ferragosto weekend of good food and entertainment, with indoor seating available and a rich grill service offering daily dishes. The weekend program includes Friday, August 14, a specialty risotto with ossobuco and from 9:30 PM a karaoke night. Saturday 15, fried mixed specialties and from 8:30 PM the night procession with a torchlit march followed by live music. For Sunday evening the specialty is porchetta and more music to close the weekend in merriment.
San Rocco Fair in Marola (RE)
From Friday 14 to Sunday 16 August 2026, the traditional San Rocco Fair returns to Marola, three days of celebration organized by the Pro Loco with a rich program of events including shows, gastronomy, markets and family entertainment. The event opens Friday with the dialect comedy “Bocia e Balèin.” Saturday August 15 features “The Smallest Circus in the World” and, in the evening, the show “100 Jokes for Emergency.” Sunday 16 August the program continues with the San Rocco Orienteering in the Castagneto Matildico and the traditional festa in the square. Throughout the weekend there will be prize fishing, the traditional market, the Arte e Ingegno market and numerous activities for adults and children. Sunday evening it will also be possible to dine on fried gnocco fritto, cured meats, local sausage, hamburgers and French fries, before the baby dance and the concert by Seven Monkeys, who will enliven the square with hits from the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Pumpkin and Cappellaccio Ferrarese IGP Festival in San Carlo (FE)
From August 13 to 23, 2026, the Sagra della Zucca e del Cappellaccio Ferrarese IGP returns to San Carlo, an event awarded the UNPLI Quality Festival mark, celebrating one of the symbols of Ferrara’s gastronomic tradition through eleven days of taste, culture and conviviality. The stars of the festival will be the famous Cappellaccio Ferrarese IGP and many pumpkin-focused specialties, offered at the food stands alongside the dishes of the Estense cuisine. In addition to the gastronomic offering, the festival will feature music, moments of gathering and an atmosphere of authentic tradition.
Flavors of Local Typical Products in Raiano (AQ)
Sunday 16 and Monday 17 August 2026, the historic center of Raiano hosts once again Sapori di Prodotti Tipici, the event organized by the Raiano APS Pro Loco dedicated to the region’s gastronomic excellence. From 7 PM until midnight, the food stands will offer a wide selection of local typical products, giving visitors the chance to discover the authentic flavors of Abruzzo’s tradition in a festive and convivial atmosphere. Two evenings designed to value the region’s enogastronomic heritage, blending taste, hospitality and community spirit, in the evocative setting of Raiano’s historic center.
Ciammella Festival in Scurcola Marsicana (AQ)
The Ciammella Festival returns to Scurcola Marsicana, a traditional event celebrating one of the sweets symbolic of the local tradition with a day of festivity, taste and folklore. The festival will begin at 5 PM with the evocative parade of folkloric floats crossing the historic center, gifting visitors an atmosphere rich in colors, music and folk traditions. Later, the gastronomic evening will follow, where you can sample local specialties and spend an enjoyable evening in the spirit of conviviality, in the heart of the Marsican village.
Lamb Chop Festival in Longone Sabino (RI)
Sunday 16 August, starting at 6 PM, the Pro Loco APS Longone Sabino organizes the annual Lamb Chop Festival, now in its 45th edition. A day dedicated to taste and local gastronomic tradition to savor the delicious lamb chops. The event will begin at 6 PM, while at 9 PM the evening will be enlivened by live music with the Orchestra “Tonino e Lorenzo Serva,” mixing liscio, Latin-American, group dances and lots of fun.
Strozzapreti Festival in Capranica (VT)
Returning to Capranica from August 14 to 16 is the 31st Strozzapreti Festival, an event that for more than thirty years has celebrated culinary tradition and the value of volunteering. Organized with passion by an entire community, the 2026 edition features a major novelty: a new location on Via America, in the Pajanello locality, designed to offer an even more welcoming and engaging experience. For three evenings the indispensable strozzapreti will be the stars of the food stalls, accompanied by many local cuisine specialties in a festive and convivial atmosphere. The program will be enriched with performances, music and entertainment, for an event that blends taste, tradition and fun, keeping alive one of Capranica’s most cherished summer traditions.
