New Year's Eve in Apulia: what to do to welcome the 2024

The transition from the old to the new year can be a perfect opportunity to visit new destinations or to newly discover well-known corners of our country in a different gaze, filtered through a sizzling festive mood. The atmospheres of a vibrant and fascinating territory like Apulia may be just for you in this regard.

Thanks to its mix of centuries-old traditions, decorated and illuminated locations and many captivating events, this charming region can give you an everlasting memory, whether you are in a couple, with family or with friends: whichever city you will choose, New Year's Eve in Apulia is a unique experience and here we want to give you a sample of it.

The unquestionable beauty of Bari's historic center has an extra edge at this time of year. Amid decorations and luminaries, the main event on Dec. 31 in the city is definitely the concert, which is held every year in Piazza della Libertà by the local Radio Norba and registers thousands of visitors. Joining citizens and tourists to wait for midnight will be the best artists from the Italian music scene and more - last year, for example, La Rappresentante di Lista, Rkomi and natives Boomdabash played - and after the countdown it's still time for dancing with a series of DJ sets. According to some rumors, a special connection with Channel 5 is also planned, but nothing has been confirmed yet. 

And if the weather doesn't scare you, on the morning of Jan. 1, you can open your New Year's Eve in Apulia with the traditional dive into the sea, the climax of the Marcialonga Nicolaiana ceremony. This is a highly appreciated and much-followed ritual that includes a Mass at the Basilica of St. Nicholas, the city's patron saint, a march along the promenade, and finally the first swim of the year from the Pane e Pomodoro beach: will you be brave enough?

If for New Year's Eve you are considering a romantic evening with your sweetheart, here we want to recommend a truly original place, that is the lighthouse of Punta Palascio, in Capo d'Otranto. Perched above the gulf of the same name, where the Ionian and Adriatic seas merge in an embrace, the lighthouse has dominated the scene since 1867, in the role of silent guardian of the most easterly location in Italy. And for this very reason, at Punta Palascia you will be amazed at the sight of the country's first sunrise, a tradition that has for a long time inaugurated the new year for all those who gather there, braving the temperatures. That is why, over time, musical events, performances and exhibitions have been organized to accompany this magical ritual. 

Punta Palascia is only 6 km from the town of Otranto and 40 km from Lecce.

Among the most celebrated towns in Puglia, Alberobello and its trulli are dressed up for the Christmas season: in December and January, it holds the Alberobello Light Christmas, a festival where luminaries and light are projected directly onto the town's original buildings. Among the subjects that can be glimpsed there is the ultra-original light nativity scene, a journey featuring more than 30 luminous human figures inspired by the Nativity, narrated by a story-teller. And if you are lucky enough, you can admire this fairy-tale spectacle surrounded by snow. Can you imagine a more magical place than this for your New Year's Eve in Apulia? 

Easily reach Alberobello by train from Bari or Taranto and visit daily from dusk to dawn.

For an opulent New Year's Eve in Apulia in the Taranto area, a visit to the Aragonese Castle and its romantic view of the sea is a must, before setting your sights on one of the clubs in the historic center and toasting the New Year.

The Aragonese Castle, a well-known name for Castel Sant'Angelo, is a wonderful example of medieval architecture, whose structure has been modified several times over the centuries; given its location, the building was born for defensive purposes but in time became home to a maximum-security prison. Today, the castle is a destination for many visitors, and during the Christmas season it is dressed in lights and decorations and enriched with markets of gastronomic and handicraft products, with the impressive Ferris wheel in the background. Here you can enjoy the traditional New Year's Eve delicacy, the pettole, or fried balls of yeast dough seasoned sometimes with sugar and sometimes with anchovies and capers.

A short drive from Lecce, in the heart of Salento, lies the small village of Tricase, where the highlight event is certainly the Living Nativity. It is one of the largest nativity scenes in Europe, which has been attracting thousands of visitors from all over Italy for more than 40 years, and boasts a permanent structure among the village streets on the Monte Orco hilltop.

Thanks to the participation of more than 200 performers, a truly realistic reconstruction of ancient trades and local folk traditions comes to life: the stonemason, the leatherworker, the papier-mâché maker perform their work, while chatting with passers-by. Of course, while you warm yourself at the hearth with them, you can enjoy many local specialties. 

The Living Nativity in Tricase awaits you with free admission on Dec. 25, 26, 28, 30 and Jan. 1, 3, 5, 6 from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.; you can reach it by train or bus from Lecce.