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The Camogli Fish Festival, or Sagra del Pesce Camogli, is a major annual event held in May in Camogli, a fishing village in the Italian region of Liguria.
It’s also known as the Festa di San Fortunato, as it honours this patron saint of fishermen and celebrates Camogli’s centuries of fishing tradition. The festival dates back to 1952.
The main attraction is a fish fry where a giant frying pan is used to cook up a feast and serve fried fish for free to the thousands who attend.
As vegetarians, we didn’t plan to be in Camogli for the festival; it just coincided with our week in the village. Luckily for us, there is plenty of interest beyond the fish including huge bonfires and fireworks.
Camogli comes alive during the festival, which has its pros and cons. The town is very busy, especially on Saturday night, so we were glad we had an apartment with a kitchen so we didn’t have to worry about restaurant reservations (you’ll need one!).
There’s not much information about the Camogli Fish Festival in English, so here’s everything we learnt.
Contents
- Getting to Camogli
- When is the Camogli Fish Festival?
- Sagra del Pesce Camogli Schedule
- Friday Night: The Festival Begins
- Saturday: Bonfires and Fireworks
- Sunday Fish Fry
- Is the Camogli Fish Festival Worth Visiting?
- More Liguria Posts
Getting to Camogli
Camogli is located in the region of Liguria in northwest Italy. The area is also known as the Italian Riviera, with glamorous Portofino on the other side of the peninsula from more laid-back Camogli.
The easiest way to reach Camogli is by train (check times at TrenItalia). Trains take around 45 minutes from Genova (which has the nearest airport).
Other places with easy access by train to Camogli are Santa Margherita Ligure, Rapallo, and Sestri Levante. The Cinque Terre villages are about an hour away and usually require a change.
You can also reach Camogli by ferry from Genoa and Recco (and Portofino with a change at San Fruttuoso), with additional services offered during the festival. Check the Golfo Paradiso website for the timetable.
I don’t recommend driving to Camogli during the festival as parking is very limited.
Everywhere is easily walkable in compact Camogli, although there are stairs to get between the main street (and station) and the harbour/beach.
When is the Camogli Fish Festival?
The Sagra del Pesce Camogli (Camogli Fish Festival) takes place on the second weekend in May every year. The fish fry takes place on the Sunday.
In 2026, it is scheduled to take place from Friday, 8 May to Sunday, 10 May.
Sagra del Pesce Camogli Schedule
This was the Camogli Fish Festival schedule in 2025, but it is similar each year. Timings are approximate for the main events.
The best way to find the schedule is to check the Pro Loco Camogli Facebook page closer to the event.
Friday
- 7.30pm – Food stall with local specialities in Largo Ida Battistone.
- 8.30pm – Live music on the seafront.
- 10pm – Flag raising ceremony on the seafront.
Saturday
- 12.30pm and from 7.30pm – Food stall with local specialities in Largo Ida Battistone.
- 2pm – Midnight – Market on Via della Repubblica.
- 8.30pm – Religious procession.
- 11.15pm – Fireworks on the beach.
- 11.30pm – Lighting of the bonfires on the beach.
Sunday
- 9.45am – Blessing of the frying pan and fish.
- 10am until late afternoon – Fish fry in Piazza Colombo.
- 12pm and from 7.30pm – Food stall with local specialities in Largo Ida Battistone.
- 2pm – 8pm – Market on Via della Repubblica.
Friday Night: The Festival Begins
We arrived in Camogli on Friday afternoon. If you have limited time, Friday isn’t an essential part of the festival. It’s pretty lowkey with no major events.
It wasn’t too busy, but booking a restaurant is a good idea if there’s somewhere in particular you want to eat dinner.
We had no problems getting a table at lunch, and in the evening, we had aperitivo snacks at Il Barcollo on the seafront.
We enjoyed seeing the festival prep. Especially the three massive bonfires that were being built on the beach by three quartieri (neighbourhoods)—Porto, Pinetto, and Rissêu.
The wood and paper constructions were much larger than we expected, and it was fun to see them take shape over the next few days.
We also saw the giant frying pan (padella) overlooking the harbour, ready for Sunday’s feast.
An older version of the frying pan is displayed permanently on Via Giuseppe Garibaldi with information about the festival. It’s marked as La Padella della Sagra del Pesce on Google Maps.
Next to it, the colourful Dragun boat was also out on display (after the festival, it was covered up).
In the evening, the food stall at Largo Ida Battistone (a little piazza just back from the seafront) was set up and remained there through the weekend.
The Ligurian specialities (like pesto pasta and, of course, fish) were very affordable (as were the €1.50 glasses of wine), but there were always long queues, so we never ate there.
We saw the live music set up on the seafront, but it wasn’t a huge performance, and we didn’t stay for it.
Saturday: Bonfires and Fireworks
Saturday afternoon is when the Camogli Fish Festival really gets going, peaking in the evening with the fireworks and lighting of the bonfires.
Daytime Activities
On Saturday and Sunday, a market is set up on the main street, Via della Repubblica, selling art, clothes, and foodie items.
The food tent also returned, with long lines again.
The town started feeling busier in the afternoon, but we didn’t find the crowds unbearable until about 9pm. The vibe was lively, with bars setting up stalls to sell takeout drinks.
We went to the beach in the afternoon, but it closed at 5pm to prepare for the bonfires.
Procession
The first event of the evening is a religious procession, scheduled to begin around 8.30pm. It starts from the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta, a church just above the piazza where the frying pan is, and goes through town.
Locals carry a statue of San Fortunato and a crucifix of Christ, accompanied by priests and a brass band.
Fireworks
Things really get going late on the Saturday with a fireworks display from the right side of the beach (facing the water), near the church.
It started a little earlier than scheduled at 11.05pm and lasted about 10 minutes. It was surprisingly impressive!
We had the perfect view from the balcony of our apartment rental, A due passi dal cielo e dal mare.
Bonfires
The falò (bonfires) were the highlight of the Sagra del Pesce for us.
We loved watching the local communities hard at work on their astonishing creations over the weekend.
By Saturday afternoon, we could see what they all were—a robot, a wave, and a jukebox (with impressive attention to detail).
We were in awe of the immense effort that went into creating these massive constructions, only to light them on fire.
Every year, the bonfires are different and so creative. Later in the week, we visited a temporary exhibition at the castle, which showcased the bonfires over the years.
The bonfire tradition dates back to a time when fires were believed to bring good luck to the fishermen of Camogli. Villagers lit them on the beach as they departed on long voyages.
Following World War II, when the Camogli Fish Festival began, the fires became much more extravagant, and now the quartieri compete to make the most impressive one.
The Lighting of the Falò
The downside of watching the fireworks comfortably from our apartment is that we were late getting back to the seafront for the lighting of the bonfires at 11.30pm.
The promenade was rammed with people and had a party vibe with lots of young people out drinking (although it in no way felt aggressive).
It was difficult to find somewhere to see the bonfires—you really need to stake out a spot on Via Giuseppe Garibaldi, the promenade above the beach, at least an hour in advance. You can’t watch from the beach for safety reasons.
We managed to stand a few rows back near Bar Auriga (if you got an outdoor table here, you’d have the perfect view) and watch through the crowd.
The fires were impressively huge, with debris shooting into the sky above all the surrounding buildings. We’ve never seen anything like it.
Sprinklers surround the bonfires to stop them getting out of control, and firefighters are on standby.
As the fires burned down, we managed to get a closer look.
Top tip: If you need to cross town on Saturday evening, it’s easier to walk on the upper main street than on the crowded seafront. So take the stairs up and then walk over.
Sunday Fish Fry
While the bonfires were the main event for us, the Sunday fish fry is what the Sagra del Pesce is all about. The crowds streamed into town on Sunday morning.
The massive 3.8-metre frying pan (padella) contains 2000 litres of oil and can fry three tons of fish. It’s set up on Piazza Colombo on the harbour (see Molo Piccolo Camogli on Google Maps).
You can get a good view from above by walking up the stairs towards the Basilica di Santa Maria Assunta.
At around 10am, the blessing began. Honestly, you could probably skip this bit. The speeches (in Italian, of course) went on for ages.
I don’t think the frying started until about 11am. There were initially long queues, but they had become more manageable by 2pm when we walked past.
Everyone is welcome to join the queue up to the padella and receive a plate of mixed fried fish. There is no charge, but cash donations are welcome (there was a donation box on the way up to the pan).
I’m not sure what time they stopped serving, but they were well packed away at 7pm, so it’s best to go by 3pm so you don’t miss out.
On Sunday, the food tent and market were also back.
While most of the day was busy, Sunday night was much quieter as the day trippers left and Camogli got back to its usual tranquil self.
Is the Camogli Fish Festival Worth Visiting?
The Sagra del Pesce is definitely worth visiting. Even though we don’t eat fish, we still enjoyed attending this traditional festival. We especially loved watching the bonfires being constructed, then burned on Saturday night, as well as the fireworks.
If you like fish, you’ll enjoy it even more.
Camogli is a beautiful place, so I highly recommend spending a few extra days there before or after the festival so you can enjoy it without the festival crowds.
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