La Notte della Tammorra will return to Naples for its 24th edition on September 11 and 12, 2026, at Piazza Mercato. The two-night festival will celebrate Campania’s popular music traditions and pay tribute to composer, director, and scholar Roberto De Simone.
Promoted and funded by the City of Naples through the “Naples City of Music” project, the event will close the “Summer in Naples 2026” program. Composer and musicologist Carlo Faiello will again serve as artistic director.
The lineup includes Lina Sastri, Tony Esposito, Ciccio Merolla, Maurizio Capone, Flo, and Ars Nova Napoli. Other performers include Fiorenza Calogero, Simona Boo, Irene Scarpato of Suonno d’ajere, Marianita Carfora, Greg Rega, Denise Di Maria, Tony Cercola, Gennaro Tesone of Almamegretta, and Lavinia Mancusi.
The first concert, “The Night of the Drums in Naples,” will take place September 11. The September 12 program, “Homage to Roberto De Simone: Tradition in Campania,” will focus on De Simone’s influence on Neapolitan and Campanian musical culture. Both concerts will begin at 8:30 p.m., and admission is free.
Traditional ensembles will also take part, including Biagio De Prisco with La Voce della Tradizione and paranze from Giugliano, ’O Lione, Terzigno, and the Monti Lattari area. In addition, the program will feature regional forms linked to Montemarano, Cilento, Gargano, and Carpino.
Faiello has longstanding ties to De Simone’s work. A double-bass graduate of the San Pietro a Majella Conservatory, he performed with the Nuova Compagnia di Canto Popolare and collaborated with De Simone on productions that included “La gatta Cenerentola.” He later wrote for artists such as Roberto Murolo and Lina Sastri and received the Critics’ Award at the Sanremo Music Festival for “Pe’ dispietto.”
Founded in 2001, La Notte della Tammorra takes inspiration from the traditional Comiziano celebration known as ’a Notte de’ Tammorre. Its program centers on the tammorra, a frame drum associated with Campanian ritual and social traditions, and the tammurriata, a circular folk dance passed down through generations.
Alongside established performers, the festival continues to feature younger artists and musicians who reinterpret regional traditions in contemporary contexts.
Before the concerts, six free workshops will introduce participants to folk dance and frame-drum techniques. Sessions will take place from September 7 to 10 at Fondazione Il Canto di Virgilio, Via Santa Chiara 10/c, and on September 11 and 12 at Piazza Mercato from 5 to 7 p.m. No reservation is required.
Author: World Music Central News Room
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