Carnival in Gioiosa Marea 2025

The Carnival in the Murgo of Gioiosa Marea enlivens the streets of the center every year with parades of allegorical floats and masked groups, dances and musical and entertainment shows.
Officially kicking off the Carnival of Gioiosa Marea, on the first Sunday of Carnival , is the traditional parade of the Racchia, where the locals dress in a bizarre way, dancing, singing and parading through the streets of the city. The purpose of the parade is to involve all the inhabitants: it was in fact tradition that a musical band of young people, known as Racchietta, wandered around the town playing various instruments and entered the houses of the inhabitants, where the doors were left open, to play tricks on them and involve them in the dances.
On the Second Sunday of Carnival the Murga takes the stage, which takes up the Argentine tradition: a small band in a super colorful procession led by the Murgo nel suo abito tradizionale. Il Murgo in his traditional dress. The Murgo is the symbol of the Gioiosa Marea carnival, it is a man in a tailcoat, top hat, white gloves and a violin.
On Shrove Thursday and the third Sunday of Carnival, the parades of the floats take place and masked groups.
On Shrove Tuesday you can attend the great final parade with the Murgo and Bear Parade. On this occasion, the Carnival of Piraino joins the Carnival of Gioiosa Marea and you can attend a single and large parade whose name recalls the symbols of the two carnivals: the Murgo of Gioiosa Marea, and the bear, which represents the carnival of Piraino, symbol of the carnival in the Nebrodi areas.

You could be interested in where to stay in Gioiosa Marea

You could be also interested in:

• What to see in Gioiosa Marea
• To see in Messina surroundings