Sponz Fest goes winter: first-ever winter edition in Irpinia

The Sponz Fest, the music and folk traditions festival founded by singer-songwriter Vinicio Capossela in Calitri, Alta Irpinia, will hold its first-ever winter edition from January 3 to 6, 2025. Renamed Sponz Viern, the festival features concerts in caves, workshops, theater, meetings, readings, poetry, and circus arts, culminating in Capossela's ritual concert 'La Dodicesima Notte'. The summer 2024 edition was canceled due to lack of public funds, but a spontaneous celebration took place on August 31. The winter edition is made possible by local associations, the municipal administration, local entrepreneurs' sponsorships, and ticket sales. The program includes concerts by Alessandro 'Asso' Stefana, Peppe Leone, and Andrea Tartaglia; a screening of the documentary 'Natale Fuori Orario' directed by Gianfranco Firriolo and written by Capossela; a swing night with Patagarri and Tonino Carotone; Christmas markets; a 'Presepe Parlante' (speaking nativity scene); and a lottery. Capossela describes the twelfth night as a time of masks, rituals, and contact with the otherworld.