Festa di San Giuliano Vescovo, patron of Pollina

San Giuliano Vescovo is the patron saint of Pollina, and his feast is held in mid-July. There are the transfer of the relic, the alborata with the band, the mayor’s procession entrusting the town to the saint, the Infiorata del Santo and, on Sunday, the patron’s procession with fireworks. In 2026 the celebrations ran from 10 to 12 July.

The feast is organised by the parish, with the Comune di Pollina including it in its Estate Pollinese summer programme. The religious programme lasts several days, while the events in the square are concentrated at the weekend.

How the feast unfolds

The 2025 programme, published by Cefalunews, shows the main steps:

• the transfer of the relic to Finale, a hamlet of Pollina, with a mass and the authorities (in 2025 on Saturday 5 July);
• the blessing of the bearers in the Chiesa Madre;
• the alborata: early in the morning the “Apollonia” band goes round the village;
• the transfer of the statue of San Giuliano to the Chiesa Madre and the unfurling of the flag;
• the “Prucessioni du Sinnucu”, the mayor’s procession, with the act entrusting the town to the saint;
• the blessing of the fields and the mass for families;
• the patron’s procession on Sunday, followed by the fireworks display.

Alongside the services there are evenings in Piazza Duomo and at the Teatro Pietra Rosa. In 2025 there were a show by Roby D’Antoni and a concert by Danilo Sacco, the long-time voice of the Nomadi; in 2026, on 11 July, a cabaret show by Antonello Costa at the Teatro Pietra Rosa.

The Infiorata del Santo

During the feast days Pollina prepares a flower carpet devoted to San Giuliano. In 2026 it was created by the Polifemo Art association. It is the right moment to go up to the village with your camera.

Dates of recent years

Year	Dates	Notes
2026	10-12 July	Infiorata del Santo by the Polifemo Art association
2025	5-13 July	transfer of the relic to Finale on the 5th, patron’s procession on Sunday 13, shuttle on the last three days

Getting there and where to stay

Pollina is about 24 km from Cefalù (half an hour) and about 90 km from Palermo (1 hour 25), according to our calculation on OpenStreetMap without traffic. The village sits at 730 metres above sea level. In 2025, on the last three days of the feast, there was a shuttle between Piazza Maddalena, Piazza San Francesco and Piazza Kennedy; for 2026 the sources do not mention shuttles or parking.

To stay the night see where to stay in Pollina and before you set off the Pollina weather. In late July the Valdemone Festival comes to the village; in summer there is also the Sagra della Manna. The other patron saints’ feasts are in the calendar of religious festivals in the Madonie.