Christmas markets in Puglia and Salento 2026/27: a guide to markets, Christmas villages and living nativities in Lecce, Alberobello, Bari, Gallipoli and dozens of villages, with the dates already announced for 2026.
In short
The Christmas markets of Puglia are events spread across the region that turn towns, villages and trulli into small winter villages, with lights, wooden huts, ice rinks and living nativities. For 2026/27 the dates already set are the Fiera dei Pupi in Lecce (from 5 to 27 December), the Christmas Festival in Monte Sant’Angelo (from 8 December to 6 January), Illuminandia in Monopoli (from 5 December to early February) and the living nativity in Gravina (12, 13, 19 and 20 December); the other programmes usually come out between late November and December.
The information must always be verified with the official website, the municipality and/or the association, since it may be subject to last minute changes.
Calendar of Christmas markets in Puglia and Salento 2026/2027
The table lists the main Christmas markets, villages and living nativities in Puglia and Salento for the 2026/27 season, with the dates published by town councils, Pro Loco associations and organisers. Where the 2026 programme is not out yet you will see “to be confirmed” and, for reference, the dates of the last edition. Last checked: 2 November 2026.
For up-to-date events across Salento, see SalentoMe.
| Place / event | Area / province | Dates 2026/27 | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alberobello – Christmas village and ice rink | Area: Valle d’Itria, Bari | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 5 Dec 2025 – 6 Jan 2026 | Food village and ice rink in Piazza del Popolo, Father Christmas’s house in Largo Trevisani |
| Alberobello – “We Are in Trulli – Christmas” and LiFe Light Festival | Area: Valle d’Itria, Bari | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 5 Dec 2025 – 9 Jan 2026 | Light festival among the trulli (from 6 Dec), Presepe di Luce and a living nativity on 26–29 Dec, booking required |
| Altamura – “Un Magico Natale” | Area: Bari Murgia, Bari | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 6 Dec 2025 – 6 Jan 2026 | More than 80 events, markets in Piazza Repubblica and a tree in Piazza Duomo |
| Bari – “Natale a Bari” | Area: Metropolitan City, Bari | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 6 Dec 2025 – 6 Jan 2026 | Two Christmas villages in Piazza Umberto I and Piazza Garibaldi |
| Bisceglie – “Borgo del Natale” | Area: North Bari coast, BAT | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 22 Nov – 28 Dec 2025 (Fri, Sat and Sun) | Father Christmas’s village in Piazza Duomo and a charity market in the old town |
| Brindisi – “Brindisi a Natale” | Area: Brindisi | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 8 Dec 2025 – 6 Jan 2026 | Events in town and Father Christmas’s village at the Case Minime, on selected days |
| Casamassima – “Blue Christmas” | Area: Metropolitan area, Bari | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 6 Dec 2025 – 6 Jan 2026 | Tree in Piazza Aldo Moro and living nativity in the old village (28–29 Dec) |
| Cisternino – Living nativity in the old town | Area: Valle d’Itria, Brindisi | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 28 Dec 2025; 4, 6 Jan 2026 | Living nativity in the white lanes of the old town |
| Galatina – Christmas in Galatina | Area: Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 26 Nov 2025 – 4 Jan 2026 | Nativity exhibition, street artists and markets, guided tours of the old town, concert in the Basilica of Santa Caterina |
| Gallipoli – Wonder Christmas Land | Area: Ionian Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 1 Dec 2025 – 6 Jan 2026 | Christmas village with shows in the Galleria dei Due Mari, below the castle (paid entry) |
| Giovinazzo – “Natale al Centro” | Area: North Bari coast, Bari | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 6 Dec 2025 – 6 Jan 2026 | Tree in Piazza Vittorio Emanuele II and events in the town centre |
| Gravina in Puglia – “Gravinae Nativitas”, living nativity | Area: Alta Murgia, Bari | Dates 2026/27: 12, 13, 19, 20 Dec 2026 | Living nativity of the old trades in the old town |
| Lecce – Fiera dei Pupi (formerly the Santa Lucia fair) | Area: Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: 5 – 27 Dec 2026 | Market-fair of handmade figures and nativity scenes in papier-mâché and terracotta, in the Chiostro dei Teatini |
| Lecce – “Il Natale a Lecce”, the city’s programme | Area: Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: 6 Dec 2026 – 6 Jan 2027 (programme to be published) | In 2025: tree in Piazza Sant’Oronzo, nativity scene in the Roman Amphitheatre, Father Christmas’s village in the Villa comunale, New Year’s Eve concert |
| Locorotondo – “Il Borgo delle Meraviglie” | Area: Valle d’Itria, Bari | Dates 2026/27: 22 Nov 2026 – 6 Jan 2027 (period set by the town council, programme to be published) | Illuminated white village with markets and installations |
| Martina Franca – “Lumière”, garden of lights | Area: Valle d’Itria, Taranto | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: from 13 Dec 2025, throughout the holidays | Garden of lights in the Villa Comunale |
| Monopoli – “Illuminandia” | Area: Bari coast, Bari | Dates 2026/27: 5 Dec 2026 – early Feb 2027 | Park of lights in the old town, themed on Pinocchio in 2026 |
| Monte Sant’Angelo – “Christmas Festival” | Area: Gargano, Foggia | Dates 2026/27: 8 Dec 2026 – 6 Jan 2027 | Lights, Christmas parade, nativity scenes and the Befana funfair |
| Monteroni di Lecce – “viviAMOnteroni, Speciale Natale” | Area: Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 12 Dec 2025 – 6 Jan 2026 | Concerts, theatre, Father Christmas on his sleigh, creative market at Palazzo Baronale, the Befana’s house |
| Muro Leccese – “Il Natale al Borgo” | Area: Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 7 – 8 Dec 2025 (edition XI) | A trail among craftspeople in the old village, the original village of Muro Leccese |
| Nardò – “Si accende il Natale” | Area: Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 6 Dec 2025 | Christmas lights switched on, concerts in Piazza Salandra and shops open in the evening |
| Ostuni – “Bianco Natale” | Area: Upper Salento, Brindisi | Dates 2026/27: lights from 29 Nov 2026 (programme to be published) | Lights all over the white town; in 2025 the programme ran from 30 Nov to 6 Jan |
| Otranto – Alba dei Popoli + market at the Castle | Area: Adriatic Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 27 Dec 2025 – 1 Jan 2026; market 13 Dec – 6 Jan (selected days) | New Year concerts and a sunrise concert on 1 January; crafts and food market at the Castello Aragonese |
| Parabita – “Parabilia” | Area: Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 6 Dec 2025 – 6 Jan 2026 | The colours of Christmas in the old town, with evenings of events |
| Pezze di Greco (Fasano) – Living nativity | Area: Upper Salento, Brindisi | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 26, 27, 28 Dec 2025; 3, 4, 6 Jan 2026 | Living nativity in the rock-cut village of Lama del Trappeto |
| Polignano a Mare – Christmas in Polignano | Area: Bari coast, Bari | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmed | The town council has announced the tree lighting on 8 December, Santa Lucia on the 13th and the New Year’s morning concert |
| Ruffano (Torrepaduli) – Living nativity | Area: Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 25, 26, 28 Dec 2025; 1, 4, 6 Jan 2026 | Living nativity around the Museo della Civiltà Contadina |
| Ruffano – “InCanto di Natale” | Area: Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 8 Dec 2025 – 6 Jan 2026 | Old town lit up with a tree, Father Christmas’s house, markets and evenings of events |
| Rutigliano – “Natale a Rutigliano” | Area: Metropolitan area, Bari | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: Dec 2025 – Jan 2026 (tree lit on 13 Dec) | Christmas events in Piazza XX Settembre and the town centre |
| San Donato di Lecce – Living nativity scene | Area: Inland Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 25, 26, 28 Dec 2025; 1, 6 Jan 2026 | Traditional living nativity, entrance from Piazza Garibaldi |
| San Giovanni Rotondo – “Natale al Museo” | Area: Gargano, Foggia | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: Father Christmas’s village 5–21 Dec 2025; living nativity 4–6 Jan 2026 | Father Christmas’s village in the courtyard of the Museo Capuano and a crocheted tree in Piazza Don Bosco |
| Sanarica – Living nativity | Area: Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 25, 26, 28 Dec 2025; 1, 4, 6 Jan 2026 | Living nativity in a natural sinkhole on the road to Botrugno |
| Santa Maria di Leuca – Monumental waterfall | Area: Capo di Leuca, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 20, 25, 28 Dec 2025; 1, 6 Jan 2026 | Special openings of the Apulian Aqueduct waterfall |
| Scorrano – Illuminations and Sand Nativity Scene | Area: Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 6 Dec 2025 – 6 Jan 2026 | Town of the luminarie; sand nativity in the cloister of the Agostiniani, open every day |
| Specchia – Living nativity in the old village | Area: Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 25, 26, 28 Dec 2025; 1, 4, 6 Jan 2026 | Living nativity in the old village and markets in via Umberto I |
| Supersano – “Christmas per le vie del borgo” | Area: Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 7 Dec 2025 – 6 Jan 2026 | The village becomes a spread-out Christmas village, made by the community |
| Taranto – “Natale a Taranto” | Area: Taranto | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: late Nov 2025 – 6 Jan 2026 | Christmas village on Molo Sant’Eligio, Father Christmas’s houses in the Città Vecchia, ice rink |
| Tricase – Living nativity scene | Area: Capo di Leuca, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 25–28 Dec 2025; 1, 3, 4, 6 Jan 2026 | Living nativity on the hill of Monte Orco, free entry |
| Tuglie – “Presepi nel Borgo” and “Natale in Cantina” | Area: Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 1 Dec 2025 – 6 Jan 2026 (nativity scenes from 25 Dec, selected days) | More than 50 nativity scenes in the old town and events at the Cantina Peparussu |
| Ugento – “Uxentum, le vie del Natale” | Area: Salento, Lecce | Dates 2026/27: to be confirmedLast edition: 6 Dec 2025 – 6 Jan 2026 | Christmas village in the old town with an ice rink and nativity scenes; in 2025/26 also New Year’s Eve in the square and an Epiphany concert |
Illuminated trulli, white historic centers, the sea in the background: Christmas in Puglia does not resemble the classic markets of the North, but has a charm all its own. Between late November and early January, dozens of towns in Puglia set up markets, Santa Claus villages, living nativity scenes and light festivals, from Lecce to Bari, from Alberobello to Monte Sant’Angelo.
For those who love the “winter sun”, it is the chance to combine mild days, seaside walks and evenings among wooden huts and street food.
Curiosities and local anecdotes
In Salento the tradition of markets is intertwined with that of nativity scenes: the historic Fiera dei Pupi in the Chiostro dei Teatini in Lecce, devoted to papier-mâché and terracotta figures and once called the Santa Lucia fair, runs from 5 to 27 December in 2026.
In Ruffano, “InCanto di Natale” turns the old town into a village with a giant tree, Father Christmas’s house, markets and street food on several evenings between December and early January, while in Supersano the whole village becomes a Christmas village built by hand by the community. Living nativities, lights and festive sweets are covered in our guide to Christmas in Salento.
This reel shows glimpses of various markets in Puglia among trulli, decorated alleys and illuminated squares, useful for sensing the style of the light displays and deciding whether to focus more on inland villages, the trulli of the Itria Valley or seaside towns.
Why visit the Christmas markets of Puglia / Salento
Puglia’s Christmas markets offer a rare mix of northern atmosphere and Mediterranean winter light: you can spend the morning on an almost empty beach and the evening among wooden huts and spectacular lights. Lecce combines its lit-up Baroque, the Fiera dei Pupi and nativity traditions; in the province you will find the village with the ice rink in Ugento, the Sand Nativity in Scorrano, the Wonder Christmas Land in Gallipoli and packed calendars in Ruffano, Parabita and Supersano.
Further afield, you can reach Alberobello, Locorotondo, Cisternino and Ostuni for lit-up trulli and white villages, the “Borgo del Natale” in Bisceglie, the Christmas villages of Bari, Illuminandia in Monopoli and the Christmas Festival in Monte Sant’Angelo on the Gargano.
Practical tips
To experience the markets without stress, choose weekdays if possible and the late afternoon or early evening time slots, when the lights are on but the lines are still manageable. On the weekends around the Immacolata, Christmas and New Year’s, places like Lecce, Alberobello, Locorotondo, Polignano, Monopoli and Bari can be very crowded; book your villa, restaurants and guided tours well in advance.
🚗 Parking: use multi level car parks or parking areas on the edges of historic centers and continue on foot.
🐾 Dogs: many outdoor markets accept dogs on a leash; it is better to avoid peak hours.
🏊 Sea nearby: take advantage of the clear mornings for a walk on the almost deserted Salento beaches.
🍴 Food: try pittule, cartellate, pucce, octopus sandwiches, almond desserts and roasted chestnuts
Frequently asked questions about Christmas markets in Puglia
When do the Christmas markets in Puglia open?
Almost all between late November and the Immaculate Conception (8 December), and they close at Epiphany (6 January). Some start earlier, like the Borgo del Natale in Bisceglie (from 22 November in 2025); others last until February, like Illuminandia in Monopoli.
Which Christmas markets already have 2026 dates?
As of 2 November 2026: the Fiera dei Pupi in Lecce (from 5 to 27 December), the Christmas Festival in Monte Sant’Angelo (from 8 December to 6 January), Illuminandia in Monopoli (from 5 December) and the living nativity in Gravina in Puglia (12, 13, 19 and 20 December). For the others, the programme usually comes out between late November and December.
Where are the Christmas markets in Salento?
In Lecce with the Fiera dei Pupi, in Ruffano with InCanto di Natale, in Ugento with Uxentum, in Gallipoli with the Wonder Christmas Land and in Parabita with Parabilia; Scorrano has its luminarie and the Sand Nativity.
Are there Christmas markets among the trulli?
Yes: in Alberobello the Christmas village with the ice rink is in Piazza del Popolo and the light festival illuminates the trulli; Locorotondo has the Borgo delle Meraviglie.
Where to see a living nativity in Puglia?
In Salento in Tricase, Specchia, Sanarica, San Donato di Lecce and Torrepaduli (Ruffano); further north in Pezze di Greco, in the rock-cut village of Lama del Trappeto, in Cisternino and in Gravina in Puglia. Almost all of them open only on certain evenings between Christmas and Epiphany.
Where to stay to visit the markets in Salento?
From a house in southern Salento you are about an hour from Lecce and close to Ruffano, Supersano, Specchia and Tricase. Discover our holiday homes in Salento.
Conclusion
The Christmas markets of Puglia and Salento in 2026/27 are a great way to experience southern Italy in a different light: fewer crowds than in summer, but a busy calendar of events, Father Christmas villages, living nativities and light festivals. The 2026/27 calendar gives you a solid basis for planning your next winter among the sea, villages and lit-up trulli, knowing you can return every evening to the privacy of a villa. If you are also thinking of buying a home in Salento, winter is a good time to see what life in the villages is like out of season: you will find practical information in our guide to investing in Salento.
