The Grand Carnival of Maiori 2025

From 23 February to 9 March 2025, in the splendid setting of Maiori (a delightful town about 15 kilometres from our boutique hotel), the 51st edition of the Grand Carnival Maiorese will be held, the most important carnival event on the Amalfi Coast and an event recognised by the MIBAC as one of the promoters of culture and intangible heritage. Awarded the prestigious title of Historic Carnival of Italy, it offers a rich calendar of events for the whole family. During the kermis, the town is transformed into an open-air stage, offering visitors and inhabitants an unparalleled feast of colours, music and tradition.

The moment of greatest involvement and most eagerly awaited is during the parades of the allegorical floats (scheduled for Sunday 23 February, Sunday 2 March, Tuesday 4 March and Sunday 9 March), which will wind their way along Maiori’s picturesque seafront, offering spectators breathtaking scenery and an atmosphere of joyful collective participation. The ‘papier-mâché giants’, as someone called them, will be accompanied by their dance groups, made up not only of individual enthusiasts but entire families and groups of friends from the entire Amalfi Coast. Because without floats it is no carnival, but without music and dance there is no fun.

Carnival is synonymous with celebration, merriment and colour, but also and above all with abundance in the kitchen. In addition to the masks, parades, and numerous not-to-be-missed events, there is no shortage of opportunities to taste the area’s gastronomic delicacies, from carnival sweets, such as chiacchiere (chattering) and sanguinaccio (black pudding), to traditional Amalfi Coast dishes. A typical speciality of this period on the Amalfi Coast is the migliaccio praianese, a sort of omelette of mixed pasta (ziti lunghi, mafaldine or trenette) enriched with semolina, lard, eggs, mozzarella or fresh caciocavallo cheese, sheep’s milk caciotta or grated pecorino, smoked sausage, pepper, cinnamon and salt.

Each year, a particular theme is dedicated to the event, around which ideas, sketches and sketches revolve. In 2025, the various associations will try their hand at the theme ‘Wonder and Enchantment through Children’s Eyes’. With ‘Super Mario Wonder’, the RIO Association will celebrate the mythical Super Mario Bros, the best-known and best-loved video game of all time. The Associazione gli Amici di Sempre will explore the universal themes of love and friendship with ‘The Little Prince’. The Associazione Gli Invisibili with ‘Abracadabra’ will take visitors into a world of magic seen through the eyes of children. The Associazione I Monelli will pay tribute to the power of music and emotions with ‘Le Frequenze della Vita’. And finally, the Associazione Diapason I Nuovi Pazzi will invite visitors to rediscover the power of imagination with ‘Sogna Ragazzo Sogna’.

For more information visit the official website of the Grand Carnival of Maiori.

Photo © Grand Carnival of Maiori