Sagra di Sant'Efisio. shutterstock.com of Mindaugas Gelunas.
Sagra di Sant'Efisio. shutterstock.com of Mindaugas Gelunas.

Events, feasts and festivals

A summer dedicated to concerts, culture, and traditions

The patron Saint of Pula, San Giovanni Battista, is solemnly celebrated on the 24th of June with religious ceremonies at the church bearing the same name, alternated with dancing and music in the streets of the center and on the square Piazza del Popolo.

In the month of July, Pula gives you an opportunity – one you cannot miss! – if you appreciate culture and poetry: “La Notte dei Poeti” (“night of the poets”) has for over 30 years resuscitated the Roman amphitheater of Nora, in the middle of the extraordinary archaeological area, as a place to celebrate the (performing) arts with an abundant program including theater and dance, music, and literature.

Pula, the saint in procession at the church of Sant'Efisio in Nora. Photo by Alessandro Addis.
Pula, the saint in procession at the church of Sant’Efisio in Nora. Photo by Alessandro Addis.

The last weekend of July, celebrations are organized for the Festa della Madonna del Mare (holiday dedicated to the Madonna of the Sea): the naval procession sails off towards the coast of Nora where the statue of the Virgin patroness of the seafarers lies on the seabed, and wreaths of flowers are dropped in the water in her honor. The first half of August is marked by the Nora Jazz Festival, an international music festival also organized on the stage of the Roman amphitheater, against the natural backdrop of the sea. The vigil of the Feast of the Assumption (14 August) a mix of fireworks, folklore and popular music lighten up the water of the bay of Nora, as the lights of the boat parade pay tribute to Virgin Mary Received. The last week of the month, celebrations for San Raimondo take place with a feast brimming with folk traditions and evening performances.

Pula, Pula Burskers Festival show. Photo by Alessandro Addis.
Pula, Pula Burskers Festival show. Photo by Alessandro Addis.

During the summer season, from June to October, the town is enlivened by musical and theatrical performances, exhibits, eno-gastronomic and cultural events, all as a part of the festival “Pula Dimensione Estate”. As one of the events of greater cultural weight, we can count “Pularchàios” which is held at the end of the month of October. The festival consists of a series of lectures curated by the four Italian Universities (Cagliari, Padova, Milan, Genoa) which are active at the archaeological site of Nora, granting continuity to the excavations and constantly updating the research on location.

Pula, Pula Burskers Festival show. Photo by Alessandro Addis.
Pula, Pula Burskers Festival show. Photo by Alessandro Addis.