For five days, the Piazza Municipio in Naples becomes a grand showcase of Campanian culinary culture: from 2 to 6 September 2026, the Bufala Fest celebrates its tenth edition. Visitors can look forward to specialities featuring buffalo mozzarella and buffalo meat, pizza, pasta, fish dishes, sweet creations, tastings, workshops and numerous cookery shows. The event site between the town hall and Castel Nuovo is open daily from noon until midnight. Entry to the so-called Villaggio del Gusto is free of charge. Only food, drinks and the menu packages on offer need to be paid for.
More than mozzarella
For its tenth anniversary, the Bufala Fest presents itself with a new visual identity and the tagline "Tutte le forme del gusto", all forms of taste. This new positioning replaces the previous motto "Non solo mozzarella" and is intended to demonstrate that the festival has long been about far more than the famous Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP . The menus of the exhibitors include, among other things, pizza and fried pizza, pasta, burgers and meat dishes made with buffalo meat, as well as desserts, ice cream and pastries featuring buffalo milk or buffalo ricotta. Every dish offered in the Villaggio del Gusto must contain at least one product from the buffalo supply chain. The range extends from a double buffalo smash burger to ravioli with buffalo cheese, and on to sfogliatelle, gelato and tiramisu cream made with Ricotta di Bufala.
The festival is organised by Creaeventi in collaboration with the Associazione Culturale Giardino delle Idee, Coldiretti Campania and the Consorzio di Tutela della Mozzarella di Bufala Campana DOP. The event is supported by, among others, the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, the Senate, the Chamber of Deputies, the Region of Campania, the Metropolitan City of Naples and the City of Naples. The official theme of this anniversary edition is "La Visione che unisce", the vision that unites. With this, the festival turns its attention to the future development of the buffalo farming sector and of Campanian food production as a whole.
When Campania's rural cuisine meets the sea
A particular focus of this anniversary edition lies on the connection between buffalo farming and Campanian fisheries and aquaculture. Supported by the European FEAMPA programme, products of the land and sea are to be presented together. This is not solely about unusual recipes, but also about sustainable production, regional economic cycles and the strengthening of the so-called Blue Economy. Through tastings, cookery shows and panel discussions, visitors will discover how the products of Campanian agriculture can be combined with regional fish and seafood.
In the Taste Space , chefs, pizza makers and producers demonstrate daily which combinations can emerge from this pairing. The programme includes dishes featuring regional fish, buffalo sausage, mussels, pizza, pasta, olive oil and Campanian wines. On Thursday, for example, the combination of fish products and pizza will be presented, while Friday will focus in part on raw and cooked luganega made from buffalo meat . On Sunday, a chef from Amalfi will combine mussels from the Campanian company Mitilflegrea with the flavours of the Amalfi Coast. Some of the early-evening masterclasses are aimed exclusively at trade visitors from the restaurant and hospitality industries, while the later cookery shows are open for the general public to attend.
Make your own pizza and discover products from Campania
Those who wish to do more than simply watch will have the opportunity to get hands-on on Saturday and Sunday. Under the title "Mani in Pasta", pizzaiolo Antonio Ferraiuolo will share the techniques and secrets of pizza-making. The classes take place on 5 and 6 September at 17:30 and 18:30 respectively. A maximum of twelve participants are admitted per session , so advance registration via the event page is required.
Casa Coldiretti will also be represented at the Bufala Fest once again. Workshops, meetings with producers and guided tastings take place there daily from 12:30 until 23:00. The focus extends beyond milk and cheese to include wine, olive oil, honey, flowers and other products from Campania. Every evening from 20:00 onwards, continuous tastings are planned, at which Campanian cheeses, wines and olive oils will be presented, among other things. The Agribar will also offer products from regional agriculture and from enterprises within the Coldiretti network.
Discussions on the future of food production
The Bufala Fest does not see itself solely as a culinary event. In the "Giardino delle Idee", representatives from agriculture, science, politics and business will discuss the future of Campanian food production. The conversations, each beginning at 19:30, will address new business models for the buffalo farming sector, the connection between fish and buffalo products, digital technologies, traceability and sustainable gastronomic tourism.
The opening discussion on 2 September is entitled "Il futuro ha bisogno di visione", the future needs vision. It focuses on the hitherto lesser-known significance of buffalo meat and on new economic prospects for the entire supply chain. On 3 September, the connection between fish and buffalo products will be discussed in the context of Italian cuisine as a UNESCO cultural heritage . On 4 September, digital technologies and the future development of the Italian food industry will take centre stage. The talk on 5 September will then examine buffalo farming as a foundation for sustainable tourism. The full programme of the Giardino delle Idee is available online.
Free entry, menu packages from 16 euros
Access to the Villaggio del Gusto as well as to the publicly accessible cookery shows and panel discussions is free of charge. Only the gastronomic offerings need to be paid for. The adult menu is regularly priced at 20 euros and includes a main course, a sweet or savoury speciality, a drink, a liqueur and a coffee. The children's menu costs 16 euros, while the gluten-free menu is priced at 18 euros. Those who do not wish to purchase a full menu are still welcome to visit the event site free of charge and take a look around about the exhibitors and the programme.
Those wishing to purchase their ticket in advance using the "Salta la Fila" function can bypass the queues at the ticket desks and will also receive a complimentary festival gadget. For visits on 2 and 3 September, the anniversary promotion "10×10" also applies: purchasing tickets online in advance entitles visitors to a ten per cent discount. The adult menu then costs 18 euros, the children's menu 14.40 euros, and the gluten-free menu 16.20 euros.
Arriving by public transport is recommended
Piazza Municipio is directly accessible via Metro Line 1 at the Municipio station. For those who nevertheless choose to drive to Naples, the transport operator ANM offers a combined park-and-ride arrangement. For five euros, vehicles can be left at the Brin car park. The price includes return travel by tram between Brin and Piazza Municipio for up to four people. The offer is available daily during the festival from 12:30 to 00:30. At the car park's ticket machines, the "Bufala Fest 2026" ticket option must be selected.
Due to the festival and its setup and dismantling works, a temporary traffic management scheme for the city of Naplesis also in place around Piazza Municipio. Until 9 September, the section between Via Vittorio Emanuele III and Via Ammiraglio Ferdinando Acton, alongside the Castel Nuovo, is closed to vehicular traffic . Travelling by public transport is therefore likely to be the most straightforward option for the majority of visitors.
