If you’re in Puglia this August, you may stumble upon one of the region’s biggest music festivals: La Notte della Taranta. The itinerant festival is a celebration of Pizzica, a folk music and dance genre originating in Salento, part of the larger family of the tarantella dances. The festival has evolved into a mix of traditional local folk music and rock, classic and jazz music.
This year marks the 19th edition and features 16 concerts in different towns around Salento, from the Grecia Salentina to Lecce, and culminates with a final concert (Concertone) in Melpignano, which every year sees the Orchestra Popolare as well as international artists dance to the sound of pizzica. More than 100,000 people are said to flood to Melpignano for the final night.
Singer-songwriter Carmen Consoli helms the event as the music director.
La Notte della Taranta 2016 begins on August 9 and ends on August 27.
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