If you are in Agrigento in mid-September, the question you will ask yourself is always the same: the temples by day, and in the evening? This year the answer is a quarter of an hour away by car. From 17 to 20 September 2026 Raffadali hosts the Fastuca Fest, now in its 10th edition: four days dedicated to the Raffadali PDO Pistachio, with the old town turned into a trail of tastings, live cooking and music. It is the most important food and wine event in the Agrigento area, and wandering around the town costs nothing.
When Fastuca Fest 2026 takes place
The event is traditionally held on the third weekend of September. Here are the confirmed dates for 2026:
- Thursday 17 September – opening of the 10th edition
- Friday 18 September – a full day, with the workshop on the geographical origin and sustainability of the PDO pistachio (6:00–7:30 pm)
- Saturday 19 September – the busiest day, the one to choose if you want to find everything open
- Sunday 20 September – closing day, starting at 9:00 am with the “Onde Rosa” charity walk
The venue is the old town of Raffadali, in the province of Agrigento. The times of the individual events are published on the official Fastuca Fest website in the days immediately before: if you are interested in something specific, it is worth a look the evening before.
What Fastuca Fest is (and why it is worth the trip)
Fastuca, in Sicilian, means pistachio. And Raffadali's is no ordinary pistachio: it is a PDO product, with a protected designation of origin, which owes its flavour to the soil and climate of this hilly belt 420 metres above sea level. Its fame spread well beyond the province long ago: it is even mentioned in the novels of Andrea Camilleri and Santo Piazzese.
The festival was created to make this product known and over the years it has become much more than a food fair. Its heart is the Percorso del Gusto (the taste trail): you walk through the streets of the old town stopping at the stalls, tasting sweet and savoury pistachio dishes — from pesto to chopped pistachio on pasta, from cannoli to ice cream, all the way to the local producers' goods. Around it there are show cooking, guided tastings paired with local wines, workshops, urban art installations and live music in the evening.
Events already confirmed
The detailed hour-by-hour programme comes out just before the event. These items, however, are already set:
- Percorso del Gusto (the taste trail) in the old town, the thread running through all four days
- Cooking contest, second edition
- Show cooking with local chefs
- Workshop “Geographical origin and sustainability” — Friday 18, 6:00–7:30 pm
- “Onde Rosa” walk — Sunday 20, 9:00 am: a charity walk with a €10 entry fee that includes the official T-shirt and insurance cover
For the full calendar and any bookings, the authoritative sources are the event website and the dedicated page of the Municipality of Raffadali.
How to get to Raffadali from Agrigento
By car
From the centre of Agrigento it is about 16 km, covered in about twenty minutes of provincial road. As the crow flies the town is just over 11 km away, but the road climbs and winds, so allow for the full time. On festival evenings the old town is closed to traffic: you park in the outer streets and walk in, so it is worth arriving a little early. If you are in Agrigento and need to work out where to leave the car in town, you may find useful our guide to parking in Agrigento.
By bus
The scheduled Agrigento–Raffadali service is run by F.lli Camilleri & Argento and departs from the Piazzale Fratelli Rosselli bus terminal, in the centre of Agrigento; the journey takes roughly half an hour. An honest word of advice: intercity timetables change often and on Sundays services thin out, so check them the day before and above all check the last return service, because the festival comes alive in the evening.
What to do in Agrigento on the same days
September is perhaps the best month to visit Agrigento: the heat has softened, the temples can be walked even in the afternoon and the sea is still perfect. The most sensible way to fit in Fastuca Fest is to keep it for the evening and devote your days to the city:
- the Valley of the Temples, ten minutes from the centre
- a stroll through the old town and along Via Atenea, a stone's throw from the B&B
- the Regional Archaeological Museum, if you get a bad-weather day
- the Scala dei Turchi and the most beautiful beaches in the area, still enjoyable in September
If food is the thread of your trip, Fastuca Fest goes well with a tour of the typical agrigento dishes. And for everything else there is our guide to what to see in Agrigento.
Where to stay: a base in Agrigento is the better choice
Raffadali is a small town and during the festival its few places to stay sell out fast. The most convenient choice is to sleep in Agrigento and reach the festival in twenty minutes: by day you have the temples and the sea within reach, in the evening you pop over to Raffadali.
The B&B MiraValle Agrigento is at Via Empedocle 111, in the heart of the city: 250 metres from the old town and Via Atenea, and an 800-metre walk from the bus terminal at Piazzale Rosselli, where the service to Raffadali departs. A couple of details that really matter on days like these:
- 24-hour self check-in: if you come back from the festival in the middle of the night you do not have to tell anyone or respect a curfew
- Private kitchen in the room in most of the rooms: you come back with the pistachio you bought at the stalls and enjoy it at your own pace, and in the morning you have breakfast whenever you like
- Central location: you only need the car for the trip to Raffadali, everything else in Agrigento is on foot
You can look at the rooms and the updated rates, or write to us directly: booking without intermediaries always gets you the best rate. In September rooms go early, and on the Fastuca Fest weekend even more so.
Frequently asked questions
When is Fastuca Fest 2026?
From 17 to 20 September 2026, in Raffadali, in the province of Agrigento. It is the tenth edition.
Is there an entrance fee?
Walking around the town and the Percorso del Gusto is free: you pay for what you taste and buy at the stalls. Some activities have a separate fee — for example Sunday's “Onde Rosa” walk, €10 with the T-shirt included — and certain events may require booking.
How far is Raffadali from Agrigento?
About 16 km by road, about twenty minutes by car. By bus, from the Piazzale Rosselli terminal, it takes roughly half an hour.
Which is the best day to go?
Saturday 19 is the day with the most people and the most going on, but also the one with the longest queues at the stalls and the hardest parking. If you prefer a quieter wander, Thursday 17 or Friday 18 are quieter. Sunday morning is given over to the charity walk.
Can you go with children?
Yes: it is an open-air village festival, with workshops and entertainment. Bear in mind that the centre gets very crowded in the evening, so with a pushchair it is better to come in the early afternoon.
Dates and information verified on 6 September 2026 on the event's official website and on that of the Municipality of Raffadali. The programme may change: before setting off it is worth rechecking the times on the official channels.
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