The biggest free music event in Italy and one of the largest in Europe. 200,000+ people gather in Melpignano (Puglia) for a night of pizzica, taranta, and folk-electronic fusion.
Plan this trip →Last Saturday of August (typically Aug 22–28 festival week, with the final concertone on Saturday). The main concert in Melpignano; smaller concerts in Salento villages during the preceding week.
FREE. 6–8 hours of music in the ex-convent courtyard of Melpignano (capacity expanded into surrounding streets and fields). The orchestra plays traditional pizzica and taranta (the Salento folk music born from spider-bite "cures") fused with rock, electronic, and world music. Each year a "maestro concertatore" (guest conductor/artist) leads — past: Stewart Copeland, Ludovico Einaudi, Carmen Consoli.
Melpignano is 35 km south of Lecce. Shuttle buses from Lecce (free or €5, announced at lanottedellataranta.it). By car: park in designated areas (€5–10). Stay in Lecce (€40–80/night) and shuttle. Arrive by 8pm; the concertone starts ∼9pm and runs past 3am.