# Santa Maria Stella Maris 2026 in Vieste: Festival Program
The party Holy Mary Star of the Sea returns to Vieste in the days 4, 5 and 6 September 2026, with a religious and civil program that will involve the Parish of SS. Sacramento, the port, the seafront and some symbolic places of the city
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For those who are on holiday and looking for what to see in Vieste In early September, this festival represents one of the most heartfelt events tied to maritime tradition. Santa Maria Stella Maris, patron saint of those who live by the sea, will be celebrated with masses, prayers, a procession, music, tastings, guided tours, and initiatives dedicated to the local area.
The religious program of Santa Maria Stella Maris 2026
The celebrations will start already from August 27th, with the 72nd anniversary of the Pious Transit of the Servant of God Don Antonio Spalatro. The solemn enthronement of the statue of Holy Mary Star of the Sea, with transfer from the niche on the harbor to the parish church of the SS. Sacramento. A Solemn Mass and Novena will be celebrated at 19:00 PM, while the Solemn Celebration of the Pious Transit is scheduled for 21:00 PM.
From 28 August at 4 September, every evening at 19:00 pm, Holy Mass and the novena in honor of Santa Maria Stella Maris will be held.
Il August 30th, at 19:00 pm, the Stella Maris Novena is scheduled, with a solemn concelebration presided over by Monsignor Angelo Spina, Archbishop of Ancona-Osimo, to commemorate the 72nd anniversary of the Pious Passing of the Servant of God Don Antonio Spalatro.
Il September 4th, at 19:00 pm, the Solemn Holy Mass of the vigil will be held, with the offering of flowers to the Madonna by the Committee.
Il September 5th It will be the central day of the liturgical celebration. Holy Mass is scheduled for 10:00 a.m., while a solemn Mass will be celebrated at 17:00 p.m., presided over by Father Franco Moscone, Archbishop of Manfredonia-Vieste-San Giovanni Rotondo.
The train will start at 18:00 pm solemn procession of Santa Maria Stella Maris, accompanied this year also by the statue of Saint Francis of Assisi, on the occasion of the eighth centenary of his death.
photo by Matteo Nuzziello
The meeting will take place at the portact of entrustment of the fishermen to the Madonna, with the blessing of the boats and the sounding of the ship's sirens. The procession also includes the embarkation of the statue of the Madonna on an authorized boat, weather and sea conditions permitting, the throwing of a wreath into the sea in honor of all those who have died at sea, and the replacement of the statue of Santa Maria Stella Maris in its niche in the harbor.
Il September 6thHoly Masses will be celebrated at 10:00 am and 19:00 pm.
Civic events, music, and local flavors
Alongside the religious events, the civic programme will liven up various areas of the city.1 6 to September, on the Lungomare C. Colombo, will be set up Underwater Photography Exhibition curated by ASD Scuba Explorer.
In the small square of the Parish of the Holy Sacrament, from 2 4 to September, the works created by the children and young people of the parish during the 2026 summer oratory will be exhibited.
Il September 2th, at 9.00 pm, there will be a choral review “The Golden Grain” with the children of the summer parish oratory. September 3th, at 9.00 pm, space for the musical evening with the trio Gargano Music.
Also on September 3th, at 18:00 pm, is scheduled “Vieste, you're a beautiful seaside town”, a guided tour by Collateral APS and a demonstration of fishing on the trabucco with an aperitif by the La Rinascita dei Trabucchi Storici Association. For those who want to discover the traditions of the sea and get to know one of the symbols of the Gargano coast, the trabucchi They remain one of the most characteristic things to see in Vieste.
Il September 4th will also be dedicated to local flavours: the opening of the Taste Fair, with tasting of typical local products and specialties from our sea, in Molo Sud. At 20:30 pm, at Molo San Lorenzo, there will be a musical concert by the group Mulieres Gargano.
September 5th and 6th between port, band and shows
Il September 5th, in addition to the religious appointments, at 3.30 pm there will be a performance of the Vieste City Music Band “G. Cariglia” in the city streets and in the port area. At 22:00 PM, at Molo San Lorenzo, a demonstration is scheduled. “Maris Got Talent” 4th edition, Bullfight with Papion and Gabriellino.
The party will end on September 6th, with a day of events at Molo San Lorenzo. At 16:30 pm the “Portolimpiadi”, game competitions for adults and children. At 18:30 pm there will be the awards ceremony and a cupcake reception sponsored by the Bar Pasticceria L'Incontro. At 19:00 pm there will be the blue fish festival, organized by the Vieste Committee and Navy.
At 10pm there will be space for Tonino Music and Magic in concert, while at 12.00 am the closing of the party will be entrusted to the fireworks by the company “Pirotecnica San Pio SRLS”, at the Tourist Port/North Pier.
Info: Stella Maris Festival Committee
Stella Maris and the ancient cult of Venus Sosandra
The bond between Vieste, the sea, and the devotion of sailors has very ancient roots.islet of Sant'Eufemia, where the lighthouse stands, there is in fact a cave with numerous votive inscriptions left over the centuries by sailors and travellers.
These inscriptions tell of the ancient cult of the Venus Sosandra, a saving deity linked to the sea and the protection of sailors and fishermen. In ancient times, those sailing the Adriatic found Vieste a safe harbor, a place to stop, resupply, and entrust their journey to the sacred.
Over the centuries, this ancient pagan cult gave way to Christian devotion. The thread that unites the Venus Sosandra The sea is the very essence of the Madonna Stella Maris: yesterday, as today, Vieste preserves a spirituality deeply rooted in sailors, fishermen, and port life. The sea procession of the Madonna Stella Maris recalls this ancient memory, transforming it into a living and shared tradition.
Santa Maria Stella Maris is a celebration to be experienced between faith, sea, and community. For those visiting Vieste during these days, we recommend reaching the port of Vieste and the seafront a little early, to follow the procession and breathe in the authentic atmosphere of a tradition that still speaks to the heart of the city today.
