Culture · Collesano
Carnevale di Collesano and the Peppe 'Nnappa contest
The Carnevale di Collesano revolves around the Peppe 'Nnappa contest for masks and dance halls: six days of fun and awards at dawn after Shrove Tuesday.
2026 edition
OverPiazza Zubbio and the dance halls of the old town, Collesano
Programme
41st Peppe 'Nnappa contest for masks, dance halls and ballroom dancing: dance competition on Thursday 12 February at 21:30 in Piazzetta Zubbio, mask registration until 23:00 on Tuesday 17 in Piazza Zubbio, awards during the night, around 4:30 on 18 February.
This edition is over. We update the page as soon as the next dates are out.
Source: comune.collesano.pa.it, checked on 19 October 2026
The Carnevale di Collesano has a clear centre: the Peppe ’Nnappa contest, which rewards the best masks, the dance halls set up in the village and the couples of the ballroom dancing competition. It lasts six days, from Thursday to Shrove Tuesday, and ends with the awards ceremony at dawn. In 2026 it ran from 12 to 17 February, with the 41st edition of the contest.
It is organised by the Comune di Collesano, which publishes the rules and the entry form on its website every year. Taking part is free and open to everyone.
Peppe ’Nnappa, the masks and the dance halls
Peppe ’Nnappa is a mask of Sicilian carnival, and in Collesano it gives its name to the contest. The 2026 rules split it into three sections:
- Best mask, in five categories: handmade mask, papier-mâché mask, costume, visiting mask and cabaret. Only new masks can compete, never shown in earlier editions.
- Best hall: rooms in the village decorated on a theme, where people dance on carnival nights. Each hall must also enter a mask in the contest.
- Ballroom dancing: couples in three heats, with mazurka, polka, tango, waltz and tarantella.
A technical jury of five people, chosen by the mayor, judges masks and halls. Visiting masks and cabaret are voted on by the popular jury instead, three people for each registered hall. In 2025, for the 40th edition, the Premio Iachetta, a Pro Loco prize and two online contests were added; in 2026 the special prizes were named after the ceramicist Totò Iachetta and the Pro Loco Pietro Failla.
The programme: how it went in 2026
These are the dates set by the council’s rules for 2026:
| Day | Time | What | Where |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thursday 12 February | 21:30 | Ballroom dancing competition | Piazzetta Zubbio |
| Tuesday 17 February | until 23:00 | Last mask registrations for the contest | Piazza Zubbio |
| Night between Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 February | around 4:30 | Awards for all categories | Piazza Zubbio |
In 2025 the carnival lasted longer, from 22 February to 4 March. The 2027 programme will come out shortly before the festival, on the council’s website.
Getting there and where to stay
Collesano is about 25 km from Cefalù (55 minutes) and about 78 km from Palermo (1 hour 40), according to our calculation on OpenStreetMap without traffic. The carnival sources do not mention parking: general information is in the guide to Madonie roads.
If you stay until the 4:30 awards, driving these roads at night is not a good idea: better to book a room in the village, among those in where to stay in Collesano, or in Cefalù. Before you set off, check the Collesano weather.
Collesano celebrates again in November with the Collesano Cheese Festival. The other historic carnival of the Madonie is the Carnevale delle Madonie in Castellana Sicula, a Sunday with a parade of floats. The rest of the calendar is in the events in Collesano.
Past editions
- 2025 22 February – 4 March 2025 Source
Frequently asked questions
- When is the Carnevale di Collesano?
- It covers the last days of Carnival, which depend on the date of Easter, and ends in the night after Shrove Tuesday. In 2026 the council set it from Thursday 12 to Tuesday 17 February; in 2025 it ran from 22 February to 4 March. The 2027 dates have not been published yet.
- What is the Peppe 'Nnappa contest?
- It is the Collesano carnival contest, run by the council, with three sections: best mask, best dance hall and a ballroom dancing competition. Masks compete in five categories, from handmade and papier-mâché to cabaret. 2026 saw the 41st edition, free to enter, with special prizes named after Totò Iachetta and the Pro Loco Pietro Failla.
- What are the dance halls of the Collesano carnival?
- They are rooms in the village decorated on a theme for carnival nights, where people dance in costume. Under the 2026 rules the technical jury judges the most original decoration, also looking at guests dressed to match the theme, and each registered hall names three people to the popular jury, which votes on visiting masks and cabaret.
- What time is the awards ceremony?
- In 2026 the council's rules set the awards for all categories at around 4:30 in the morning, in Piazza Zubbio, in the night between Tuesday 17 and Wednesday 18 February. Masks could register until 23:00 on Tuesday, also in Piazza Zubbio, and winners had to turn up in costume.
- How do you get to Collesano?
- Collesano is about 25 km from Cefalù (55 minutes) and about 78 km from Palermo (1 hour 40), according to our calculation on OpenStreetMap without traffic. The sources on the carnival do not mention dedicated parking. If you plan to stay until the dawn awards, it is best to sleep in the village or nearby.
