Religious festival · Geraci Siculo
Festa di San Giacomo, co-patron of Geraci Siculo
Festa di San Giacomo in Geraci Siculo, second Sunday of August: the saint goes out with his confraternity on a float decked with flowers, wheat and fruit.
2027 edition
Church of San Giacomo (Via San Giacomo, near the castle) and Chiesa Madre, Geraci Siculo
Programme
Date from the Comune's events calendar. Mass in the Chiesa Madre, then procession of the saint on the float decked with flowers, wheat and first fruits; show in the square in the evening.
Source: comune.geracisiculo.pa.it, checked on 19 October 2026
San Giacomo is the co-patron of Geraci Siculo, the “protector” alongside the patron San Bartolo. His liturgical feast is on 25 July, but by old tradition Geraci celebrates him on the second Sunday of August: after mass in the Chiesa Madre the saint goes out on a float decked with flowers, ears of wheat and first fruits, led by his confraternity. The Comune’s calendar lists the next feast for Sunday 8 August 2027.
The people of Geraci have always had a great devotion to San Giacomo, the Comune writes. His church stands in Via San Giacomo, near the castle.
The August procession
After the solemn mass in the Chiesa Madre the saint is placed on the float. He wears bright colours embroidered in gold, has a halo on his head, a silver staff in his right hand and a book in his left. The float is decked with flowers, ears of wheat and seasonal first fruits.
In the early afternoon the procession begins. Ahead of everyone walks the whole Confraternity of San Giacomo; then come the statue, the band and the faithful. At the end the saint stays in the Chiesa Madre, and in the evening there is a show in the square.
A month in the Chiesa Madre with San Bartolo
The feast of San Giacomo opens a cycle that lasts until late September. The statue stays in the Chiesa Madre and on 23 August goes to fetch the patron’s statue from the church of San Bartolo; on the 24th they go out together for the feast of San Bartolomeo. Then the two saints stay side by side until the Thanksgiving feast, when San Bartolo accompanies San Giacomo back to his church near the castle.
In 2026 Thanksgiving was held on a Sunday in late September, with the 17:30 mass and the procession led by the bishop of Ragusa Giuseppe La Placa.
Getting there and where to stay
Geraci Siculo is about 44 km from Cefalù (50 minutes, via Castelbuono on the SS286) and about 114 km from Palermo (1 hour 40), 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 Geraci Siculo and before you set off the Geraci Siculo weather. In early August the village also hosts the Giostra dei Ventimiglia. The other feasts are among the events in Geraci Siculo.
Frequently asked questions
- When is San Giacomo celebrated in Geraci Siculo?
- San Giacomo's liturgical feast is on 25 July, but by old tradition Geraci Siculo celebrates it on the second Sunday of August. The Comune's events calendar lists the next feast for Sunday 8 August 2027.
- What is the procession of San Giacomo like?
- After the solemn mass in the Chiesa Madre the saint is placed on a float decked with flowers, ears of wheat and seasonal first fruits. In the early afternoon the procession sets off: the whole Confraternity of San Giacomo leads, followed by the statue, the band and the faithful. In the evening there is a show in the square.
- How is the statue of San Giacomo dressed?
- According to the Comune's information sheet, the saint wears bright colours embroidered in gold, has a halo on his head, a silver staff in his right hand and a book in his left.
- Where does the statue stay after the feast?
- After the August procession the statue of San Giacomo stays in the Chiesa Madre. On 24 August it goes out again with San Bartolo for the patron saint's feast, and in late September, with the Thanksgiving feast, a procession takes it back to its church near the castle.
- How do you get to Geraci Siculo?
- From Cefalù it is about 44 km (50 minutes) via Castelbuono and the SS286, from Palermo about 114 km (1 hour 40), according to our calculation on OpenStreetMap without traffic. The sources do not mention dedicated parking.
