50 YEARS OF THE GRAND MAIORI CARNIVAL

Maiori's 2024 begins with a big event: the 50th birthday of the Grand Carnival of Maiori!!! Get ready for days of performances, dancing and parades... It will be a celebration for the whole town!

by Roberta Cascone

Have you ever participated in the colorful Maiori Carnival? No??? Then this is your chance! The Grand Maiori Carnival has become over the years one of the most anticipated events on the Amalfi Coast. Since its inception in 1971, the event has evolved, involving more and more artists and offering the public performances of all kinds, from dances to theatrical performances to parades of papier-mâché floats. The latter are the most popular attraction for young and old alike: the floats are designed and then hand-built by artists from all over Italy and leave all spectators breathless with their beauty! In addition, each year the floats respect a theme chosen for the event, which this year is "The Roots." There will be five works that will parade on the Maiori waterfront and they will all be dedicated to Made in Italy. From Collodi's Pinocchio to a tribute to Galileo Galilei to Ferrari's flaming reds... The sketches of the floats were presented on December 1 at Palazzo Mezzacapo and they are already making waves! At the presentation of the 50th anniversary of the Carnival, Maiori's first citizen, Antonio Capone, said it will be an edition that "will surely go down in history." Another novelty is the return of the Carnival organizing committee's trophy. Donated in the 1980s by the Autonomous Tourist Board, it was given to the winners of the 49th edition after a long restoration and will thus be passed from winner to winner from now on.
In addition, going to Maiori on festival days will be super easy with Travelmar fast ferries, which connect all towns on the Coast. This is the ideal solution if you want to avoid traffic or don't want to pay for parking!

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A papier-mâché float. Source: Grand Maiori Carnival's Facebook page

"The Roots": the value of Italy in the world

The coveted trophy will be awarded to one of the five floats participating in the 50th edition. The theme "The Roots" will be an opportunity for participants to celebrate Made in Italy and the value that Italian craftsmanship and culture have in the world: we will find "Modern-day Galileo" with the Monelli Association, "Italy Love" by the Rio Association, "Ferrari in the World" by the Invisibles 2.0, "Grand Tour: a journey into the heart of Made in Italy" by the Nuovi Pazzi and finally the "Belpaese dei balocchi" by the ADS Association, the outgoing winner. Italy Love will present Italian cuisine as a love story, dedicated to all food and wine lovers of the Boot. The great Galileo, on the other hand, was chosen by the Monelli because this year marks the 850th anniversary of the start of the construction of the Tower of Pisa and the 460th anniversary of the scientist's birth. Enzo Ferrari will be the protagonist of the Invisibles’ sculpture, depicted aboard his fantastic testarossa as he travels through all the European capitals until he reaches America. The birth of modern tourism, on the other hand, is the choice of the association i Nuovi Pazzi, who in dedicating their work to the Grand Tour want to highlight a fundamental chapter in the history of Italian tourism. Finally, the “Belpaese dei Balocchi” could only recall the beloved Pinocchio, the world's most famous puppet!

The five floats will compete with papier-mâché sculptures and only one association will lift the trophy to the sky! Don't miss the challenge: the appointment is set for Maiori from February 11 to 18!

Some pics of old Carnival editions. Source: Facebook

The 50th edition program

Events of all kinds are planned for the exciting 50th edition of Carnival!

It all starts on Feb. 4 with the opening of the Grand Maiorese Carnival photo exhibition on the waterfront. Here it will be possible to trace the entire history of the kermesse from the 1970s to the present, with an exhibition of photos collected by the organizers with the help of all those who had testimonies of the event.
On Feb. 11 the competition gets into full swing: in the morning and afternoon there will be the much-anticipated parades of floats, and just after sunset a fireworks display followed by performances by the parade groups at the marina amphitheater.
Also on the 13th, Carnival Tuesday, there will be a parade and performances. Another not-to-be-missed event is scheduled for Saturday, the 17th, with the highly entertaining "90s Nostalgia," for all fans of the hits of the past!
On the 18th, the last day of the festival, there will be the closing with the morning and afternoon parades and again a magnificent fireworks display!
Finally, important entertainment personalities such as Maurizio Casagrande and Antonella Ruggiero will perform in the theater on Feb. 9 and 16. Keep updated on the event's Facebook page so you don't miss out on important news!

50th edition program

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Theater performances featured in the program should be booked on the Eventbrite platform, starting at 8 p.m. on Feb. 1. Don't miss the date!
Parking lots made available for the public are as follows:
- Mr. Aldo Paolillo's parking lot with shuttles (+393398871795)
- "Sotto i limoni" parking lot in the locality of Demanio (3288281738)
- Fossato and Torrione parking lot - via N. Chiunzi (+393385326263)
- Mandara parking lot - parallel Lungomare (+393398904039)