Befana del Maggi

On January 5, 2026, in Maggi, Sant’Agata Bolognese, Epiphany is celebrated with the event La Befana del Maggi.

The "Befana" in Italian folklore is an old woman, who delivers gifts to children throughout Italy on Epiphany Eve (the night of January 5). The event organized in the small village of Maggi, less than 3 kilometres far from Sant'Agata, was started in 1973. At that time a group of friends decided to celebrate by burning a small pile of wood. Over time, this little performance became tradition and creativity took over coming to what you can see now: a pile of about thirty meters, covered with straw and wood, is "set on fire" with fireworks and music.

This event, no longer restricted to a small group of friends, is shared by the whole village of Maggi, where people are working for three days on the realization of this massive fire that is burning at sunset along with fireworks in order to make the atmosphere even more impressive.

The organization of the fire follows a gastronomic feast. Here you can eat "crescentine" (fried leavened dough) and cold cuts with coffee and mulled wine (using on average 80 litres of wine). All this in return of a small offering, aimed to ensure the realization of the event next year. The celebration falls on a holiday devoted especially to children, for the happiness of whom there will be a distribution of socks full of candies and sweets.

Program:

• From 5:30 PM – Entertainment with Luca and Mario DJ.
  Mulled wine and gnocco fritto
• Around 7:00 PM – Pyromusical show by PiroItaly
  After the fireworks show, Santa Claus and the Befana will hand out lots of stockings to the children present.

A shuttle service from Sant'Agata to locality Maggi will be available.