Religious festival · Petralia Soprana
Festa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo in Petralia Soprana
Festa dei Santi Pietro e Paolo in Petralia Soprana, 29 June: alborata, a procession with the hamlets' statues, banner-wavers and fireworks at midnight.
2026 edition
OverChiesa Madre, Piazza Duomo, Santa Croce shrine and contrada Pinta (fireworks), Petralia Soprana
Programme
25-26 June novena and torchlight processions with the smaller statues; 28 June show by Uccio De Santis in Piazza Duomo; 29 June alborata, procession, Stendardieri in the square and fireworks at midnight in contrada Pinta.
This edition is over. We update the page as soon as the next dates are out.
Source: balarm.it, checked on 19 October 2026
Saints Peter and Paul are the patron saints of Petralia Soprana and are celebrated on 29 June. The day starts at dawn with the alborata and ends at midnight with fireworks in contrada Pinta; in between come the solemn mass, the procession of the two apostles with the statues of the hamlets’ churches and the performance of the Gruppo Stendardieri Soprani in Piazza Duomo. In 2026 the programme ran from 25 to 29 June.
The feast is promoted by the Comune di Petralia Soprana and the parish. The hamlets take part too, with their own statues and parish delegations.
The novena days
On the evenings before the feast, after the novena and mass in the Chiesa Madre, the faithful carry the smaller statues of Saints Peter and Paul in a torchlight procession and sing the traditional hymn in their honour. In 2026 there was also a concert by the “G. Verdi” band of Petralia Soprana on 25 June, and a show by pupils of the music-focused middle school on the 26th.
On 27 June the band goes round the town and the sacred statues of the hamlets arrive, welcomed with the parish delegations at the Santa Croce shrine.
The eve and the feast day
This is how the end of the feast was organised in 2026, according to Madonie Press and Balarm:
| Day | What |
|---|---|
| Saturday 27 June | band round, torchlight procession and welcome of the hamlets’ statues at the Santa Croce shrine; in the evening Kamafei concert in Piazza Duomo |
| Sunday 28 June (eve) | festive bells, band and drummers through the streets, services in the Chiesa Madre, torchlight procession with the smaller statues and fireworks; at 22:30 cabaret with Uccio De Santis in Piazza Duomo |
| Monday 29 June | alborata and bells at dawn; at 19:00 solemn mass in the Chiesa Madre with the authorities; then the procession of Saints Peter and Paul with the statues of the local churches; Stendardieri Soprani in Piazza Duomo; at midnight fireworks in contrada Pinta |
The procession on the 29th is the central moment: the two apostles parade with the statues of the municipality’s parishes, accompanied by their communities. At the end, in Piazza Duomo, the banner-wavers perform. In September the town celebrates again with A Pistata, the grape treading in the square.
Getting there and where to stay
Petralia Soprana is about 103 km from Palermo (1 and a half hours, A19 to Tremonzelli and then SS120) and about 57 km from Cefalù (1 hour), according to our calculation on OpenStreetMap without traffic. The sources do not mention dedicated parking; for the roads see the guide to driving in the Madonie.
To stay the night see where to stay in Petralia Soprana and before you set off the Petralia Soprana weather. The full programme comes out each year on the Comune di Petralia Soprana’s Facebook page. The other patron saints’ feasts are in the calendar of religious festivals in the Madonie and among the events in Petralia Soprana.
Frequently asked questions
- When are Saints Peter and Paul celebrated in Petralia Soprana?
- The feast day is 29 June, preceded by a few days of novena and evenings in the square. In 2026 the programme ran from 25 to 29 June, with the procession on the evening of the 29th after the 19:00 solemn mass and fireworks at midnight in contrada Pinta.
- What is the procession on 29 June like?
- After the solemn mass in the Chiesa Madre the statues of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul come out, together with those of the churches and parishes of the municipality, accompanied by the communities of the hamlets. The procession crosses the town and the evening ends in Piazza Duomo with the Gruppo Stendardieri Soprani.
- What are the torchlight processions with the smaller statues?
- On the novena evenings, after mass in the Chiesa Madre, the faithful accompany the smaller statues of the two patron saints in a torchlight procession, singing the traditional hymn in their honour. The torchlight procession is repeated on the eve, 28 June, with fireworks.
- Where can you see the fireworks?
- The traditional fireworks display on the night of 29 June takes place at midnight in contrada Pinta. In 2026 there were also fireworks on the evening of the eve, 28 June, after the torchlight procession.
- How do you get to Petralia Soprana?
- From Palermo it is about 103 km (1 and a half hours) on the A19 to the Tremonzelli exit and then the SS120; from Cefalù about 57 km (1 hour). These are estimates from our calculation on OpenStreetMap, without traffic. The sources do not mention dedicated parking.
