What to Do in Gaeta This Weekend: November 6–8, 2026

The weekend of 6–8 November in Gaeta is the one when the Christmas lights come on: on Saturday 7 at 16:00 the Favole di Luce opening starts in Piazza XIX Maggio, and for three evenings Pizza & Birra Fest returns to the former Avir glassworks, after the 1 November evening was cancelled due to bad weather. On Friday evening there is Pirandello at Teatro Ariston. Times and places are those announced by the organisers: for last-minute updates, check the page of each event.

Weekend events

Friday 6

• Pizza & Birra Fest — former Avir glassworks car park, next to Piazza dei Maestri Vetrai. The first of the three evenings added by the organisers: pizza, also gluten free, craft beer, tiella. Times and guests for the new evenings have not been announced yet (on the first evenings the village opened at 18:00). Free entry.
• «Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore» — at 20:30, Teatro Ariston, Piazza della Libertà 19. Luigi Pirandello’s masterpiece (Six Characters in Search of an Author) with Primo Reggiani and Jane Alexander, directed by Nicasio Anzelmo, in Italian. Tickets from €24 to €32 plus fees on TicketOne.

Saturday 7

• Favole di Luce opening: «Caieta: Corpi di luce» — from 16:00, from Piazza XIX Maggio to Piazza della Libertà. Mvula Sungani’s show crosses the town centre to the Christmas Village, with vertical dance, a narrator, live music and pupils from six Gaeta dance schools. From that evening the 26 light installations stay on until 10 January. Free.
• The first evening of the lights — according to the official season programme, on Saturdays and Sundays from 17:00 Corso Cavour comes alive with street artists and music, on Saturdays at 18:15 there is the Favole di Luce parade and at 18:30 the Fontana di San Francesco show with fireworks in Piazza della Libertà. The little light trains run on Saturday from 15:00 to 23:00.
• Pizza & Birra Fest — second evening, about 350 metres from Piazza XIX Maggio: after the switch-on you can walk to dinner.

Sunday 8

• Favole di Luce — from 17:00 street artists on Corso Cavour, at 18:30 the Fontana di San Francesco and fireworks, at 19:00 the first of the live events in Piazza XIX Maggio. Trains from 15:00 to 22:00. The full route is on the Christmas lights map.
• Pizza & Birra Fest — third and last evening of the festival.

The Christmas lights weekend: how to plan it

The first Favole di Luce weekend brings huge crowds to Gaeta. From 7 November the Piazza XIX Maggio and Piazza della Libertà car parks are closed; Piazzale Avir, the one indicated by the official programme, also hosts the Pizza Fest village on these three days, so there are fewer spaces. Arrive in the early afternoon or use the alternatives in the guide to parking for the Christmas lights.

The official info points are in Piazza XIX Maggio (Friday 16:00-20:00, Saturday and Sunday 10:00-12:00 and 16:00-20:00), in Piazza Roma and at Villa delle Sirene (Saturday and Sunday). At the info points you can pick up free tickets for the Golden Chapel of the SS. Annunziata, while they last. The Christmas market returns with the lights in Piazza della Libertà. Dates, the season programme and where to eat along the route are in the guide to the Gaeta Christmas lights 2026-2027.

Where to stay

To watch the switch-on without rushing and stay for the evening, accommodation in the centre and in Serapo lets you walk between the lights and Pizza Fest without taking the car again: you will find it all in where to stay in Gaeta.

Frequently asked questions

When do the Gaeta Christmas lights switch on in 2026?

On Saturday 7 November 2026 at 16:00, with the opening event «Caieta: Corpi di luce» from Piazza XIX Maggio to Piazza della Libertà. The Favole di Luce stay on until 10 January 2027.

What is on in Gaeta on Saturday 7 November 2026?

The Favole di Luce opening at 16:00, then the first evening of the lights with the parade at 18:15 and the Fontana di San Francesco show with fireworks at 18:30, and the second evening of Pizza & Birra Fest at the former Avir glassworks.

Is Pizza Fest on on 6, 7 and 8 November?

Yes: after the 1 November evening was cancelled due to bad weather, the organisers added three evenings, Friday 6, Saturday 7 and Sunday 8 November, in the former Avir glassworks car park. Times and guests have not been announced yet. Free entry.

Do you have to pay to see the Gaeta Christmas lights?

No, the lights and the opening are free. You can see them every evening along the route.

Where to park on the switch-on weekend?

From 7 November the Piazza XIX Maggio and Piazza della Libertà car parks are closed. Piazzale Avir is the one indicated by the official programme, but on the weekend of 6-8 November it also hosts Pizza Fest: arrive in the early afternoon or use the other car parks in the guide.

Sources

Official Favole di Luce 2026-2027 programme and opening press release (30 October 2026); official Pizza & Birra Fest notice (1 November 2026); Teatro Ariston show page and TicketOne for «Sei personaggi in cerca d’autore».

Before you go

The Gaeta weather page is updated in real time: Pizza Fest is outdoors, and the 1 November evening was cancelled precisely because of the rain. All updated events are on the events page.