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From: 18/09/2026 - To: 27/09/2026
Place: san vito lo capo
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For ten days, the centre of this seaside town will become a large open-air venue devoted to tastings, cultural encounters, culinary competitions and music. The programme includes the Italian Cous Cous Championship, the Bia Cous Cous World Championship, numerous cooking shows and free concerts on the stage set up on the beach.
The Cous Cous Fest was created in 1998 with the aim of presenting cous cous not only as a food, but also as a symbol of encounter between different peoples, traditions and religions. Since then, every September San Vito Lo Capo has become one of the international capitals of Mediterranean food and wine culture.
The slogan “Make Cous Cous Not War” sums up the spirit of the event: using food and conviviality to promote dialogue, mutual understanding and peace. Over the years, chefs from more than twenty countries have taken part in the competition, presenting both traditional recipes and contemporary interpretations of cous cous.
The cultural value of this dish has also been recognised by UNESCO, which in 2020 added the knowledge, practices and traditions connected with the production and consumption of cous cous to the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, following a joint nomination by Algeria, Mauritania, Morocco and Tunisia.
Throughout the festival, from 12:00 noon to midnight, the Cous Cous Houses will be open along the seafront, Via Regina Margherita and Via Savoia. Visitors will be able to choose from more than twenty recipes from different parts of the world, ranging from traditional San Vito fish cous cous to versions made with meat, chicken and vegetables, as well as vegetarian and gluten-free options.
Tasting tickets start from €12 and can be purchased online or directly from the festival ticket offices.
The same streets will also host the Expo Village, a large free-entry market dedicated to Sicilian and Mediterranean food products and handicrafts. The stands will be open every day from 12:00 noon until midnight.
The festival opens on Friday 18 September at the Bia Theatre in Piazza Santuario with the first two qualifying rounds of the Conad Italian Championship, scheduled for 6:00 pm and 8:30 pm.
At 10:30 pm, the event moves to the beach stage for a free concert by Sal Da Vinci. The Neapolitan singer will officially open the programme of major evening performances at Cous Cous Fest 2026.
Saturday 19 September will be dedicated to the new generation of chefs and to the conclusion of the Italian Championship. The two qualifying rounds of the Conad Next Generation Student Contest will take place at 11:30 am and 1:00 pm.
At 5:30 pm, visitors will be able to take part in the Conad Cooking Challenge, a culinary competition in which non-professional contestants must prepare a recipe using surprise ingredients.
The final and awards ceremony of the Italian Cous Cous Championship will be held at 8:30 pm. The evening will continue at 11:00 pm with a free live show on the beach stage, whose featured artist has yet to be announced.
On Sunday 20 September at 10:00 am, the Bia Theatre will host the Fish Auction. The event will recreate the colours, voices and atmosphere of a traditional fish market, giving visitors the chance to buy the catch on display through a real auction led by an auctioneer.
Cooking shows are scheduled throughout the day at 12:30 pm, 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm. At 10:00 pm, a free performance will take place on the beach stage, with the artist still to be announced.
Cooking demonstrations will also take centre stage on Monday 21 September, with shows scheduled for 12:00 noon, 6:30 pm and 8:00 pm. The day will end at 10:00 pm with another free live show.
On Tuesday 22 September, the programme begins at 10:30 am with Bia Cous Cous Kids, a workshop where children can prepare cous cous and discover the stories and traditions connected with this dish.
A cooking show is scheduled for 12:00 noon, while the Conad Cooking Challenge returns at 5:30 pm. At 8:00 pm, there will be a wine tasting organised by Tenute Orestiadi.
At 10:00 pm, Mario Incudine will perform on the beach stage. The concert will be free to attend.
On Wednesday 23 September, the Bia Cous Cous Kids workshop will return at 10:30 am. Cooking shows are also scheduled during the day at 12:30 pm, 6:30 pm and 8:00 pm.
At 7:00 pm, the beach stage will host a free yoga lesson, while at 9:30 pm the Ceremony of the Peoples of Cous Cous will take place, one of the most symbolic events of the festival. The evening will continue at 10:00 pm with a free show whose performers have yet to be announced.
On Thursday 24 September, the Bia Cous Cous World Championship will get under way. The first two qualifying rounds are scheduled for 6:30 pm and 8:30 pm at the Bia Theatre in Piazza Santuario.
The audience will be able to taste the recipes prepared by the teams, accompanied by wine and other drinks, and help choose their favourite cous cous. Cooking shows are also scheduled at 12:30 pm and 4:00 pm. A free live show will take place on the beach stage at 10:30 pm.
On Friday 25 September, the World Championship will continue with the third and fourth qualifying rounds at 1:30 pm and 8:30 pm. The day will also include a cooking show at 12:00 noon, the Conad Cooking Challenge at 5:00 pm and the Talk & Food event at 7:00 pm.
Another free yoga lesson is also scheduled on the beach stage at 7:00 pm.
At 10:30 pm, Gaetano Curreri, Andrea Fornili and Roberto Drovandi, long-standing members of Stadio, will take to the stage. The concert will be free.
Saturday 26 September will be the decisive day of the Bia Cous Cous World Championship. Before the final, three cooking shows are scheduled at 11:00 am, 12:30 pm and 4:30 pm.
At 8:00 pm, the three finalist countries will compete for the title of Cous Cous World Champion. Spectators will be able to taste the three dishes in the competition and vote for their favourite. The ticket to attend the final and take part in the tasting costs €50.
At 9:30 pm, the grand finale and the Cous Cous Fest awards ceremony will take place. Immediately afterwards, at 11:00 pm, Ditonellapiaga will perform a free concert on the beach stage.
The final day, Sunday 27 September, will begin at 10:00 am with another Fish Auction. Three cooking shows will follow at 12:30 pm, 5:30 pm and 7:00 pm.
The final performance on the beach stage is scheduled for 10:00 pm. The name of the featured artist or artists will be announced by the organisers at a later date.
The concerts and main evening performances at the Cous Cous Fest are free. Artists already announced for 2026 include Sal Da Vinci, Mario Incudine, Gaetano Curreri with Andrea Fornili and Roberto Drovandi, and Ditonellapiaga.
Other live shows currently listed in the programme as “TBA” will be announced in the coming weeks. Most of the performances will take place on the stage set up directly on the beach in San Vito Lo Capo.
Admission to the Expo Village, the concerts and many activities is free. Tastings at the Cous Cous Houses, some championship rounds, cooking shows and wine tastings require a ticket.
Places for events at the Bia Theatre are limited. Tickets can be purchased online or during the festival from the official ticket offices. Buying in advance will allow visitors to avoid queues at the ticket desks.
Cous Cous Fest 2026 will take place from 18 to 27 September in the centre of San Vito Lo Capo. The Cous Cous Houses and the Expo Village will be open every day from 12:00 noon to midnight.
