Presented in Marlia the program of the highlight event on October 31st: the HALLOWEEN CELEBRATION CARNIVAL.
With over 450 artists, the 31st Anniversary Celebrations©, the giant hot air balloon “Des Mirages”, the two Cosplay Contests, and the special Kids program, there are many new features for this thirty-first edition.
Rtv38 News Service
Halloween Celebration Carnival (www.halloweencelebration.it) is the highlight event of Halloween Celebration, Italy’s first and largest Halloween Fest, now celebrating its thirtieth edition. It will be a unique and fantastic event wrapped in the magic of the stunning estates and park of Villa Reale in Marlia (LU), a grand nighttime show within 16 hectares of parkland with over 450 artists including actors, jugglers, acrobats, entertainers, and musical bands.
The complete event program, which will take place from 4:00 PM on October 31st until late at night, was presented this morning during a press conference at Villa Reale di Marlia.
Parades, roaming shows, street food, and market alleys, live music, and disco parties in 6 covered locations for a “rainproof party”, with the grand finale of the solemn Dance Macabre ritual: history and mystery within the walls of ancient residences and among the shadows of the park, featuring reenactments, animations, street art, bizarre markets, interactive routes, typical food, beer gardens, nacht bars, and the traditional ending with Lucida Mansi, the ghost forever tied to the City of Lucca, and fireworks illuminating the magical lake of Villa Reale and the entire Lucca plain.
“It is with great satisfaction that we have renewed our collaboration with this evocative and now established event linked to Halloween celebrations,” said Ilaria Carmassi, Tourism Councillor for the Municipality of Capannori. “This event, which in previous editions has always attracted large crowds, represents a unique opportunity for leisure and fun with many shows and the presence of numerous artists who have further grown this year, offering even more entertainment opportunities. At the same time, Halloween Celebration Carnival contributes to the promotion of our beautiful territory, and in particular of Villa Reale, being part of the program of a historic event like Halloween Celebration, which also spans other areas of the province and attracts a truly remarkable number of participants every year.”
Among the many artists performing will be the Krampus De Fiemme, who will bring their folkloric traditions to Lucca, creating a mythical atmosphere with primordial dances and tribal rituals, the Semplicemente Steampunk group – a new addition for 2025 – who will create an imaginary world accessible through a time portal, where modern technology will be replaced by steam, gears, and fantastic mechanisms immersed in a Victorian-inspired nineteenth-century atmosphere, the ghostbusters of Ecto-1 Italy (another new addition this year) who will animate the Pan’s Grotto in search of ghosts and spirits, and also fire breathers, street artists, and stilt walkers with the Compagnia del Drago Nero, Lunatik Cirque, La Chimica del Fuoco, Animas in Aree, Maleficis Conati, and La Corte dei Miracoli.
TgNoi News Report - Halloween Celebration Carnival 2025
Among the special guests of 2025 will be H.E.R., international violinist, who, from the grand terrace of Villa Reale at 10:30 PM, will present “Butterflies Effect Puccini,” a show with music blending traditional arias of the great Tuscan maestro and famous movie themes from the fantasy genre. Then, directly from Spain, Vurro, an eclectic and mysterious multi-instrumentalist, will perform at 10:00 PM with his large cow skull at the grand tent of Circo Tropical. To close, at the same location, it will be the turn of Trick or Treat, an energetic hard rock band with a distinctly Halloween-themed performance. On the stage of the Circo Niuman tent, in the South Meadow Area, after the opening of the Manolo Strimpelli Nait Orkestra, we will witness the grand Reggae Circus show by Adriano Bono, a ska band with gypsy tones and circus artists on stage to create a truly dreamy show.
In the Circo Krom tent, the Formiche nell’Orto will alternate with their irreverent pop-ska music and the Baldo degli Ubaldi with a great finale blending folk and variety theater. In the North Limonaia Area, starting at 9:30 PM, the cartoon band Scudieri dello Zodiaco will perform, and the night will end with the historic hard rock of Delirio & the Phantoms. Among the various areas of the Carnival, there will also be concerts in Area 10 Limone Garden with Joe Natta and the Leggende Lucchesi and in Area 11 Lake with The Joker My Name is Carnival.
There will be many disco zones, starting with Area 3 South Limonaia, where DJs 500Miles and Charlie will alternate with Ibiza queen Rita Gherz. In Area 6 Villa Front, at exactly midnight, the show of Bad Tolz Buzz will begin, while in Area 7 Stables, the traditional Dance Macabre will be led by the legendary Dome La Muerte.
The three circuses (Circo Krom, Circo Niuman, and Circo Tropical) will present their acrobatic and juggling performances divided into 15-minute steps repeated every hour. One quarter tent will be dedicated to the youngest visitors in Area 2 Prato Centrale, with the Ridolina and Circusbandando performances. Also in this area, there will be Silvia Talassi’s Magic Drawings Workshop, accompanied by the Fantastic Stories from the Italian Museum of Folkloric Imagery. Additionally, Face painting, animations, and the Great Puppet Theater will be available until the arrival of Jack the Pumpkin King, who will guide children of all ages into his kingdom. A vibrant procession will wind its way to the Villa’s Lake, passing through the magical Pumpkin Street.
In addition to the circus tents, there will be the large hot air balloon “Montgolfiere Des Mirages”, where from around 9:00 PM, visitors can board to admire the stunning Lucca plain at night in all its splendor, thanks to the tethered flights operated by the AeroClub Lucca’s balloon pilots, who organize the Festa dell’Aria every September in collaboration with the Municipality of Capannori.
“Halloween Celebration Carnival at Villa Reale di Marlia represents a landmark event in Italy for those who want to spend the most mysterious and picturesque evening of the year in an extraordinary setting: the park and architecture of the Villa, the lights and perspectives of the night in an explosion of colors and music, with hundreds of artists taking us back in time and giving visitors a truly emotional experience, continuing the Halloween spirit from Lucca Comics & Games. We are really happy to open our gates to this event directed by Stefano Nannizzi, which is the result of great collective effort and is drawing visitors from European countries such as England, Germany, and France (and ranking among the top results online for quality of offer and location). This year, we’re also raising awareness for better waste management through a collaboration with the Zero Waste Research Center of Capannori and Zero Waste, aiming to make this event increasingly zero waste and to encourage visitors to respect the place that hosts them,” says Michela Fovanna, manager of Villa Reale.
At the various performance spots, numerous dance groups, street bands, and theater companies will perform dark-themed shows and themed performances, along with some exceptional solo artists and performers. Among them, the Deadh Frog Street Band, the Moruga, Fantastic Circus, Zampanò Banda with Tambooring, Tribal Soul, Giulliet Dance Project, the Court of Miracles by Be Crew, Zarro Radical Smash Show, Angels & Demons by DYC Top Dance Academy, Moris Nigra Terrinca, and the elegant noble parade by the Dance Society of Lucca.
A key highlight of the event will be the Cosplay world with HC Cosplayers 2025 in collaboration with Lucca Comics & Games. The two special contests that were very successful last year will return: The Grand Ball of Wednesday (www.granballodimercoledi.it), dedicated to the character of Wednesday Addams, with the best adult and child Wednesday contestants being awarded by sponsor Cagliostrino (the adult winner will also become the image and ambassador for the 2026 edition), and The Black Parade (www.blackparade.it), a second contest focused on horror/dark/fantasy themes, showcasing the best horror costumes of Carnival 2025, with three exceptional hosts: DJ-V, Letizia Cosplay, and Massimiliano Poggi. A connection with Lucca Comics & Games becomes even stronger thanks to the Halloween Celebration station at the Cosplay Pavilion, where, at 12:30 PM on October 31st, a Grand Ball-Show will take place to select a Wednesday and a Black Monster who will receive free access to the HC Cosplayers stage at Villa Reale’s Carnival.
High-quality food and drinks will be offered, with participation from highly selected food trucks and gastronomic stands offering a wide and intriguing variety: from classic “Tuscan” sandwiches to gourmet options, as well as gluten-free, vegan, and vegetarian choices, from Mexican to Indian and Vietnamese cuisine, and numerous local and non-local craft breweries offering gluten-free beer, along with cocktail bars and spritz points.
Also not to be missed is the bizarre market “Fiera di Lombroso,” another historic feature of Halloween Celebration, a traditional themed market with dark, fantasy, horror, and mystery stalls, street art, and the brand-new Via dei Consulti with more than 25 experts in divinatory arts offering palm readings, foot readings, tarot cards, runes, bones, akashic records, reiki, sibyls, pendulum, evil eye investigations, and much more.
“We’ve reached the 31st edition of Halloween Celebration,” says artistic director Stefano Nannizzi. “It’s been years of hard work: Halloween Celebration has become an event hub that spans all of the Lucca area, from June to December. We’ve put a lot of energy into creating high-quality events that can stay in the hearts of the public. This year, we’ve invested heavily in the Carnival evening, opening important collaborations with national and international partners, which will allow us to grow even further in the coming years. We are very pleased to have increased the number of artists participating in the Carnival compared to last year. From the 150/200 artists in the first two years, we’re now up to nearly 500 for the 31st edition. It will be a truly magical evening, a step forward towards the grand program for the 32nd edition in 2026, which will feature three new formats. Loga Studio is a really close-knit team, a group of professional and creative collaborators.”
The central moment of the event will be dedicated to the Celebration of the Thirty-First Anniversary©.
Along with the organizers and representatives from the Tuscany Region, Province of Lucca, and the supporting municipalities, many collaborators and friends who have contributed ideas and professionalism to the growth of Halloween Celebration over these thirty years will be present. A special thank you also goes to the entire LogaStudio staff and the Anonima Teatranti theater company, all passionate individuals who work constantly on the Halloween Celebration format and all the events we propose throughout the year.
At 11:15 PM, Lucida Mansi and Satan will appear in front of the Clock Tower for the traditional “Lucida Notte” appointment, performing the grim ritual of the return that happens every October 31st. Then, the long procession, “Passage of the Damned” will make its way to the southern part of the Villa, in front of the Lake, where Lucida will sink to return to the underworld. At the stroke of midnight, the long-awaited pyrotechnic show “The Wrath of Lucifer” will begin. The majestic fireworks, curated by Diego Bertoli Barsotti of the Diego Fuochi d’Artificio company, will light up the entire Lucca plain up to a height of 300 meters and mark the midnight of Halloween Celebration Carnival Thirty-First Edition© 2025, kicking off the final part of the event, which will continue until 2:00 AM.
The entire Halloween Celebration event is organized by NERO creativelab and LOGA STUDIO Art Vision, under the artistic direction of Stefano Nannizzi, in partnership with Lucca Crea and Lucca Comics & Games, with the support of the Tuscany Region, Province of Lucca, Pisa, and Pistoia, and the municipalities of Lucca, Capannori, Viareggio, Pescaglia, Bagni di Lucca, Fabbriche di Vergemoli, Castelnuovo Garfagnana, Coreglia Antelminelli, Barga, Montecarlo, Gallicano, Porcari, Molazzana, Seravezza, Careggine, Montignoso, Vicopisano, San Giuliano Terme, Buti, Buggiano, Uzzano, Pescia, Stazzema, Vecchiano, Massarosa, Altopascio, Calci, Cascina, Ponte Buggianese, and Camaiore.
Complete Halloween Celebration program on: www.halloweencelebration.it
Pre-sale required via CiaoTickets
Shuttle from Lucca: https://www.ciaotickets.com/it/biglietti/navetta-carnival-celebration-2025
(Tickets on-site will only be available if there are remaining tickets and at an increased price).
Inspirieren Lassen