In this guide
💡 The Short Version: The San Gregorio Armeno nativity fair opens on 1 November 2026, earlier than usual, and the city’s Natale a Napoli programme runs from 26 November to 10 January. San Gennaro’s blood is shown on 16 December, 8 December is a Tuesday and a public holiday, and the MANN, the Cappella Sansevero, the Royal Palace, the Catacombs and the Fontanelle are shut on 25 December. New Year is three free days, 30 December to 1 January, in Piazza del Plebiscito and on the Lungomare Caracciolo, with no artists announced. Naples airport is closed to flights from 1 to 30 November 2026. Or book a guide: the Old Town walking tourad takes in San Gregorio Armeno and is from €27.55.
The dates
| When | What |
|---|---|
| From 1 November 2026 | The San Gregorio Armeno fair opens, at the artisans’ request |
| 26 November 2026 to 10 January 2027 | The Comune’s Natale a Napoli programme |
| End of November | A large concert at San Domenico Maggiore, in the complex the city has reopened as the Casa della Lettura |
| Tuesday 8 December | A public holiday. The Altri Natali strand starts |
| Wednesday 16 December | San Gennaro’s blood is shown |
| Friday 25 December | Several sights are shut |
| 30 December to 1 January | New Year in the square and on the seafront |
| 6 January 2027 | Epiphany, the date the 2025 fair ran to |
| Sunday 10 January 2027 | The end of the Comune’s programme |
San Gregorio Armeno and the nativity scenes
The street of nativity-figure workshops is free, and the church charges no entry. The 2026 fair opens on 1 November, at the artisans’ request and with the Comune’s agreement; the 2025 fair, the 154th edition, opened on 14 November and ran to 6 January 2026 with about 45 operators in red wooden huts. The Comune orders a one-way pedestrian flow on the busiest December weekends. Weekday mornings and the second half of November are quietest, and the weekends of December and the days round 8 December are the fullest. See San Gregorio Armeno for the street and the nativity scenes in the Certosa di San Martino, Santa Chiara and Napoli Sotterranea.
A Neapolitan nativity scene, with angels over the stable and townspeople round it. Photo: Sailko, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0.
The city programme
The Comune di Napoli opened a call in August 2026 for the events of Natale a Napoli 2026, a programme of music, theatre and dance across all ten municipalities, running from 26 November 2026 to 10 January 2027 and budgeted at €290,000. Altri Natali, its fifth edition, runs from 8 December to 10 January and takes the Mediterranean and the sea as its themes. A large concert in the San Domenico Maggiore complex marks the end of November, and a second large concert, part of the New Year celebrations, is planned for an outer municipality (Comune di Napoli). In 2025 the city switched on the Christmas lights in Piazza Municipio on Sunday 16 November at 18:00.
San Gennaro on 16 December
The blood of San Gennaro is shown on Wednesday 16 December 2026, the date the Curia ties to the eruption of Vesuvius in 1631. In 2025 the Mass was said in the Chapel of the Treasure of San Gennaro, and the cathedral is free. See San Gennaro’s miracle dates and the Duomo and the Treasury.
Closed days
| Sight | Shut on |
|---|---|
| MANN | 25 December and 1 January; Tuesdays, except Tuesday 8 December, when it opens and shuts on the Wednesday after |
| Cappella Sansevero | 25 December; Tuesdays, except 8 December and 29 December 2026 and 5 January 2027 |
| Royal Palace | 25 December and 1 January; Wednesdays |
| Catacombs of Naples | 25 December; Wednesdays |
| Fontanelle cemetery | 25 December; Wednesdays |
| Capodimonte | Wednesdays |
| Treasury of San Gennaro | None printed |
The MANN’s mosaic collection and Secret Cabinet are closed for refurbishment until 30 November 2026. What to book before you go to Naples has the whole grid.
What to eat
Scaturchio’s own page names the roccocò and the mustaccioli, Christmas biscuits, among the sweets that “can never be missing” at Christmas, and a panettone “al Ministeriale”. The shop is on Piazza San Domenico Maggiore: see Naples street food and pastries and where to eat in Naples.
New Year’s Eve 2026
The Comune has set three days of free events for the New Year, with Piazza del Plebiscito and the Lungomare Caracciolo at the centre (Partynopea, reading the Comune’s call, and Fanpage).
| Day | What |
|---|---|
| Wednesday 30 December | A contest for young urban and rap talent in Piazza del Plebiscito, with established Neapolitan artists |
| Thursday 31 December | The main show, music and comedy, in Piazza del Plebiscito |
| Night of 31 December and afternoon of Friday 1 January | Contests and DJ sets on the Lungomare Caracciolo |
No artists have been announced. The rules from the last order are the pattern: in 2025 the mayor’s order banned fireworks, firecrackers and rockets, drinks in glass, rigid plastic, cartons and cans, and pepper spray in Piazza del Plebiscito, Piazza Municipio and the Lungomare Caracciolo from 18:00 on 31 December, with drinks allowed in light plastic or paper cups. The official fireworks show at Castel dell’Ovo was the only one authorised (Grande Napoli). 31 December 2026 is a Thursday and 1 January 2027 a Friday.
The weather
The 1991 to 2020 averages at Napoli Capodichino airport, from ISPRA, put December at a daytime high of 14.3 °C and a night low of 5.9 °C, with 9.9 days of 1 mm of rain or more and 105 hours of sunshine. January is a little colder, at 13.4 °C and 4.7 °C. See the best time to visit Naples.
Where to stay and plan the rest
The nativity fair, 8 December and New Year are the dates that fill the Centro Storico hotels, and the New Year events are on Piazza del Plebiscito and the Lungomare Caracciolo, below Chiaia: see where to stay in Naples. 3 days in Naples builds a plan round the closed days, and is Naples safe? gives the official advice for crowds. For other cities’ Christmas pages, see Christmas in Rome.
Common questions
When does the Naples Christmas fair open in 2026?
On 1 November 2026, earlier than the usual mid-November start. The San Gregorio Armeno nativity fair in 2025 opened on 14 November and ran to 6 January 2026. The workshops on the street are open all year.
What is on in Naples at Christmas 2026?
The Comune's Natale a Napoli 2026 programme of music, theatre and dance runs from 26 November 2026 to 10 January 2027, and its Altri Natali strand runs from 8 December to 10 January. The programme covers all ten municipalities of the city, and the events were still being chosen when the Comune opened its call in August 2026.
Is Naples open on Christmas Day?
Several sights close on 25 December: the MANN, the Cappella Sansevero, the Royal Palace, the Catacombs of Naples and the Fontanelle cemetery, according to their own pages. The MANN and the Royal Palace are also closed on 1 January.
What happens in Naples on New Year's Eve 2026?
The Comune plans three days of free events: on Wednesday 30 December a youth music contest with Neapolitan artists in Piazza del Plebiscito, on Thursday 31 December a concert and comedy show in the same square, and DJ sets and contests on the Lungomare Caracciolo on the night of 31 December and on the afternoon of Friday 1 January. No artists have been announced.
Are fireworks allowed in Naples on New Year's Eve?
In 2025 the mayor's order banned fireworks, firecrackers and rockets in Piazza del Plebiscito, Piazza Municipio and the Lungomare Caracciolo from 18:00 on 31 December, together with drinks in glass, rigid plastic and cans and pepper spray. The official fireworks show at Castel dell'Ovo was the only one authorised.
What is the weather in Naples in December?
At Napoli Capodichino airport the December average is a daytime high of 14.3 °C and a night low of 5.9 °C, with 9.9 days of 1 mm of rain or more and 105 hours of sunshine (1991 to 2020 averages, ISPRA).
