After five record-breaking evenings (4,852 tickets sold, already exceeding the record for the entire 2025 season), the festival will stop for the summer, to return with a special evening on Saturday 26 September on the occasion of the European Heritage Days.
Herculaneum Archaeological Park · Friday, August 7 (8:00 PM–12:00 AM) · Last appointment before the summer break
Summer evenings in Ercolano continue to light up with light, music, and ancient lyrics, and Friday, August 7th marks the final “I Venerdì di Ercolano” (Fridays in Ercolano) before the festival’s summer break. Now in its ninth year, this year’s festival is enjoying particularly warm public reception. For the last time before the summer break, the Archaeological Park will once again transform into an open-air stage among the ruins of the ancient city, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The evening slot chosen for the event—from 8:00 PM to midnight—offers visitors the most pleasant time of day for an outdoor stroll: the warm light of sunset and the suspended atmosphere of the Herculaneum domus, artfully illuminated for the occasion, create a scene that is more than a visit, it’s an experience to be enjoyed with all the senses.
The underlying theme of the 2026 edition, Love and War, ran through seven site-specific performances spread across the archaeological site’s various spaces. This evening, too, the audience will be able to move freely along an illuminated path, encountering the performances one after the other, each repeated cyclically throughout the evening: a free and immersive experience, perfect for those who wish to discover archaeology in a new light.
We’re taking a summer break, with numbers that reflect steady growth over the years and an increasingly large and loyal audience. This year, too, as a sign of the importance we place on promoting the Park, the decision to renew this event has proven to be the right one, meeting the public’s strong expectations. We look forward to seeing you in September for a final, special evening on the occasion of the European Heritage Days. With this event, the Park renews its commitment to making its archaeological heritage a living space, open to dialogue with the languages of the present. The ancient city becomes a meeting place between memory and creativity.
— Federica Colaiacomo, Director of the Archaeological Park of Herculaneum
Four years of growth
The numbers from past editions show steady growth: in 2023, 2,509 visitors were registered; in 2024, with a route that particularly highlighted the Antica Spiaggia, there were 2,487 visitors; 2025 set a record with 4,404 visitors, almost double the previous year.
2026 is proving to be a record edition: in the first five evenings (3, 10, 17, 24 and 31 July) 4,852 visitors have already taken part in the event – more than the entire 2023 season, the 2024 season and the entire 2025 season (4,404 visitors, the previous record). The figure is destined to grow further: tickets for the last evening of Friday 7 August are already partly sold, awaiting bookings for the next few hours, and to these will be added the special evening of 26 September.
The last event of the festival is on September 26th
After the evening of August 7th, the festival will take a summer break, returning with a final special date on Saturday, September 26th, 2026, on the occasion of the European Heritage Days.
Practical information and tickets
| Opening hours | From 8:00 PM to 12:00 AM, in two shifts (8:00 PM–9:30 PM and 10:00 PM–11:30 PM) |
| Entrances | Corso Resina 187 and Via dei Papiri Ercolanesi 19 |
| Full ticket | € 10,00 |
| Reduced ticket | €5.00 (18-25 years old, EU citizens) |
| Free | Minors, disabled people, and their companions (reservations required) |
| Purchase | Online ercolano.coopculture.it or call center +39 081 0106490 (Mon–sat 9:00–17:00, excluding holidays) |
| Advice | Comfortable, low-cut shoes and insect repellent: to make the most of your evening outdoors. |
One last chance before the summer break to experience Herculaneum amid the soft lighting of the ancient domus and the sounds of live music. Tickets for the August 7th evening are available online: advance reservations are recommended, given the limited space available for each session.
Photo: ANNA ABET.
