# The Passion of Christ in Piazza Duomo, Cefalù > La Passione di Cristo is Cefalù's passion play: actors in the old town and the Crucifixion in Piazza Duomo, on the Saturday evening before Palm Sunday. - Page: https://www.lemadonie.it/en/events/the-passion-of-christ-in-piazza-duomo-cefalu/ - Updated: 2026-10-19 - Other languages: [Italiano](https://www.lemadonie.it/eventi/passione-in-piazza-duomo-cefalu.md) · [Español](https://www.lemadonie.it/es/eventos/la-pasion-de-cristo-en-piazza-duomo-cefalu.md) · [Français](https://www.lemadonie.it/fr/evenements/la-passion-du-christ-piazza-duomo-cefalu.md) · [Deutsch](https://www.lemadonie.it/de/veranstaltungen/passionsspiel-auf-der-piazza-duomo-cefalu.md) ## At a glance | | | |---|---| | 2026 edition | 28 March 2026 | | Where | Cefalù old town (Via Roma, Piazza Cristoforo Colombo), with the finale in Piazza Duomo, in front of the Cathedral, [Cefalù](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/villages/cefalu/) | | Category | Religious festival | | Recurrence | Every year, Saturday evening before Palm Sunday, at the start of Holy Week | | Organiser | Centro di Cultura Polis Kephaloidion | | Source | https://cefalunews.org/2026/03/30/a-cefalu-torna-la-passione-in-piazza-duomo-fede-teatro-e-tradizione-ai-piedi-della-cattedrale/ (checked on 2026-10-19) | ## Programme 7 pm, directed by Marco Falletta. The Cathedral façade is the backdrop to the Crucifixion. The Passion of Christ in Piazza Duomo is the passion play with which Cefalù opens Holy Week. It is staged on the Saturday evening before Palm Sunday: the performers retrace the stages of the Passion through the streets of the old town, and the finale, with the Crucifixion, is acted out in Piazza Duomo with the Cathedral façade as backdrop. Watching is free. In 2026 it took place on Saturday 28 March at 7 pm. ## When is it? The rule is fixed: the Saturday evening before Palm Sunday, "as an introduction to Holy Week", writes the Centro di Cultura Polis Kephaloidion ([Madoniedintorni](https://madoniedintorni.com/2026/03/25/cefalu-polis-kephaloidion-la-passione-di-cristo/)). So the date changes every year with Easter. It hasn't always been like this. In 2018, at its eighth edition, the Passion was staged on 28 April at 7 pm, after Easter ([Balarm](https://www.balarm.it/eventi/la-passione-di-cristo-la-sacra-rappresentazione-in-piazza-duomo-a-cefalu-82848)). ## Who organises it The play belongs to the Centro di Cultura Polis Kephaloidion, the cultural association founded by historian Domenico Portera, to whom the 2018 edition was dedicated. Kephaloidion is the ancient Greek name of Cefalù. Direction and artistic direction are by Marco Falletta, who was already in charge in 2018 and led it again in 2026. ## What you see In 2018 Balarm counted more than two hundred performers. The scenes move through the old town, touching places such as Via Roma and Piazza Cristoforo Colombo, and reach Piazza Duomo for the last moments of Jesus's life. For the Centro Polis Kephaloidion it isn't just theatre: it presents the play as a shared moment of faith, a path of reflection and prayer ahead of Easter. Whoever watches it, believer or not, sees the Crucifixion acted out beneath Cefalù's Norman Cathedral. ## Practical tips - **Where to stand.** The finale is in Piazza Duomo: if you want to see the Crucifixion up close, take your place in the square before the start. If you'd rather follow the route, move with the performers through the old town. - **Time.** In the documented editions the start was at 7 pm. - **Next day.** On Palm Sunday the procession sets off from the church of Maria SS. della Catena towards the Cathedral: the first of the rites of [Holy Week in Cefalù](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/events/holy-week-in-cefalu/). Cefalù is 72 km from Palermo, Cefalù exit on the A20, and has a railway station on the Palermo-Messina line (see [getting to the Madonie by car](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/roads/)). For the Palm Sunday weekend, look at [where to stay in Cefalù](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/villages/cefalu/where-to-stay/) and [where to eat in Cefalù](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/villages/cefalu/where-to-eat/). Before you go, check the [Cefalù weather](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/weather/cefalu/). At Easter the Madonie also have ancient rites, such as [Holy Week and the 'Ncuontru in Petralia Sottana](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/events/holy-week-and-ncuontru-petralia-sottana/). Other religious festivals are on the [Madonie religious festivals](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/events/religious-festivals/) page, and local events under [events in Cefalù](https://www.lemadonie.it/en/villages/cefalu/events/). ## Frequently asked questions ### When is the Passion of Christ performed in Cefalù? La Passione di Cristo is staged on the Saturday evening before Palm Sunday, to open Holy Week. In 2026 it took place on Saturday 28 March at 7 pm. The date changes every year with Easter. In 2018, for its eighth edition, it was held instead on 28 April, after Easter. ### Do I have to pay to see the Passion in Piazza Duomo? The play is watched in the streets and in Piazza Duomo without a ticket. Balarm listed it as a free event in 2018, when it was organised by the Centro di Cultura Polis Kephaloidion under the patronage of the town of Cefalù. ### Who organises the Passion of Christ in Cefalù? It is run by the Centro di Cultura Polis Kephaloidion, the Cefalù cultural association founded by historian Domenico Portera. Direction and artistic direction are by Marco Falletta, who was already in charge in 2018 and again in 2026. ### Where does the play take place? The scenes of the Passion move through the old town of Cefalù, in places such as Via Roma and Piazza Cristoforo Colombo. The climax is in Piazza Duomo: the Cathedral façade forms the backdrop to the Crucifixion and the last moments of Jesus's life. ### How many people take part in the Passion? In 2018, at the eighth edition, Balarm reported more than two hundred performers, all involved in the main stages of the Passion through the old town. Sources give no updated figure for more recent editions. ## Sources - [Madoniedintorni, La Passione di Cristo del Centro Polis Kephaloidion (25 marzo 2026)](https://madoniedintorni.com/2026/03/25/cefalu-polis-kephaloidion-la-passione-di-cristo/) - [Cefalunews, la Passione in piazza Duomo 2026](https://cefalunews.org/2026/03/30/a-cefalu-torna-la-passione-in-piazza-duomo-fede-teatro-e-tradizione-ai-piedi-della-cattedrale/) - [VisitSicily, Cefalù (il nome greco Kephaloidion)](https://www.visitsicily.info/en/cefalu/) - [Balarm, ottava edizione della Passione di Cristo (2018)](https://www.balarm.it/eventi/la-passione-di-cristo-la-sacra-rappresentazione-in-piazza-duomo-a-cefalu-82848) --- Markdown version of the page https://www.lemadonie.it/en/events/the-passion-of-christ-in-piazza-duomo-cefalu/, from Le Madonie (lemadonie.it), an independent guide to the Madonie. Facts with source and date of check.