Halloween at Villa Reale di Marlia: the 32nd Halloween Celebration Carnival and October's Other Events
On Saturday 31 October 2026 the park of Villa Reale di Marlia, the estate Elisa Bonaparte bought in 1806, stays open until 2 a.m. for the 32nd Halloween Celebration Carnival. The organisers bill it as Italy's first and biggest Halloween festival. The 2025 edition drew more than 5,000 people. This year it falls right in the middle of Lucca Comics & Games, which celebrates its 60th anniversary from 28 October to 1 November. Villa Reale spreads Halloween across the whole month, though, with a night-time theatre show in early October and a children's treasure hunt on the two weekends before.
The night of 31 October
The Carnival takes over the park's 16 hectares, with more than 25 locations and 7 covered performance areas. It brings over 500 artists to Marlia. From the afternoon until late at night there are circus acts under four big tops, fire shows, dance parades, the Horror Space, the Freak Show, historical re-enactments, street art and more than twenty concerts and DJ sets.
Alongside the shows you'll find an esoteric market with forty fortune-telling stands, street food of every kind (gluten-free included), pubs, cocktail bars and craft breweries from all over Italy. Local tradition turns up with the Dondolasi and the Streghi of Lucca and the Garfagnana, joined by Krampus figures from Alpine folklore. The programme also includes the Ira di Lucifero, the fireworks show set to music that lit up the park's lake in 2025.
The park has several covered areas, and the Carnival goes ahead even if it rains.
Cosplay and Lucca Comics & Games
Lucca Crea and Lucca Comics & Games are among the 2026 Carnival's partners. The villa's stables host two events for cosplayers, the Black Parade and the Gran Ballo di Mercoledì (the Wednesday Ball).
31 October is a Saturday, halfway through the 60th-anniversary edition of Lucca Comics & Games, whose theme this year is "Legacy". You can spend the day at the festival inside Lucca's walls and head to Marlia for the evening. Villa Reale puts it about 7 km from the city, roughly ten minutes by car. Accommodation around Lucca is in high demand that week, so it's worth booking well ahead.
Halloween with children
Children under 4 get into the Carnival free, and a Kids Event area puts on shows just for them. Under-15s must be with an adult.
If you'd rather go by day, there's the Halloween Treasure Hunt, now in its seventh year: Saturday 17, Sunday 18, Saturday 24 and Sunday 25 October, from 10:00 to 18:00. Each family picks up a map at the ticket office, and children follow the clues past pumpkins, straw and cobwebs to the treasure chest. Every child takes home a small prize.
The hunt is designed for children aged 3 and up, with last entry at 15:00. The €8 ticket for ages 3 to 17 also covers the villa's museums. Adults pay the standard park rate, €12, or €18 with the museums. You're welcome to bring a picnic for the lawn.
Misterica, the early-October night show
On Friday 2 and Saturday 3 October Misterica returns for its sixth edition, also produced by Halloween Celebration. This year's chapter is called "Il Settimo Segreto" (The Seventh Secret). More than 50 actors perform along an interactive theatre route through the gardens, and villa staff lead each group along the way.
Groups of up to 30 people leave every 20 minutes from 19:00, with the last departure at midnight. Each tour lasts about 50 minutes. Tickets cost €15 and are sold online; they aren't refundable, but you can pass them on to someone else for the same date and time. Under-18s must be accompanied.
There's a dedicated route for disabled visitors at 20:40, free for them and a companion, though booking is still required. Misterica goes ahead in the rain, so wear comfortable shoes.
Practical information
Distance from Villa Agnolaccio: about 46 km, 45 minutes by car.
Halloween Celebration Carnival 2026: Saturday 31 October, until 2 a.m. The event page gives the opening time as 16:00 and the official FAQ as 17:00, so check before you set off.
Carnival tickets: until 30 September, adults €25, ages 15–17 €20, ages 4–14 €15, plus a €2 booking fee and commission. They're sold on Ciaotickets while they last; at the gate only if any remain, at a higher price.
Parking: two car parks near the entrance, one on the drive and one following the signs for P2. When they're full, you can park at the Marlia market on Via Paolinelli, where a free shuttle runs until the end of the event.
Misterica: 2 and 3 October, €15. Treasure Hunt: 17, 18, 24 and 25 October.
Programme and tickets: and .
The park on a normal day: the villa's history and gardens are covered in the guide to Villa Reale di Marlia, the home of Napoleon's sister.
After Halloween: Magico Natale, in its fifth edition, lights up the park on 5, 6, 7, 8, 12, 13, 19 and 20 December, from 14:00 to 20:00, the same days as Cèramica in Montelupo Fiorentino.
Villa Agnolaccio: back to the hills after the party
Villa Agnolaccio is about 45 minutes by car from Marlia, on the hills 3 km from the centre of Pistoia. The Carnival ends at 2 a.m. Plan for a night drive back and decide in advance who's driving. The next day you can rest in the garden of our early-18th-century villa, or head back towards Lucca by way of Collodi and the Baroque garden of Villa Garzoni.