San Lorenzo Martire Bauladu 2026

What to expect at San Lorenzo Martire Bauladu 2026

From 8 to 11 August 2026 Bauladu celebrates San Lorenzo Martire (Saint Lawrence the Martyr), the Roman deacon whose feast falls on 10 August, in the height of summer and on the night of the shooting stars. The celebrations are organised by the Festival Committee in honour of San Lorenzo Martire, with the help of the Pro Loco, the municipal administration and the parish priest: four days that combine devotion to the Saint with evenings of music and entertainment, in a small village of the Campidano di Oristano with just over six hundred inhabitants, at the foot of a hill of volcanic origin.

The religious journey begins as early as 31 July with the evening novena, and culminates in two processions linking the little church of San Lorenzo with the parish church: on 10 August the statue of the Saint, shown with the palm of martyrdom and the red deacon’s dalmatic, is carried to the parish church for the solemn Mass; on 11 August it returns to its own church. Meanwhile the Municipal Amphitheatre hosts the civic celebrations every evening: the children’s summer camp show, the Fabrizio De André tribute “Una notte per Faber”, a dance night with Fantasias de Ballos and the big fireworks finale on 10 August.

All events are free. It is a chance to discover a village off the tourist trail, a stone’s throw from the Carlo Felice highway and about twenty kilometres from Oristano, and to experience first-hand a Sardinian August patron-saint festival made of faith, community and open-air evenings.

San Lorenzo Martire Bauladu 2026 Programme

The programme of the San Lorenzo Martire festival in Bauladu 2026 runs over four days, from Saturday 8 to Tuesday 11 August, preceded by the novena that starts on 31 July. The civic evenings all take place at the Municipal Amphitheatre, while the religious celebrations revolve around the little church of San Lorenzo and the village parish church.

Civic celebrations

Saturday 8 August

The civic festival opens at 9:00 pm with the show by the children of the summer camp: an evening dedicated to the village’s youngest, who take the stage of the Municipal Amphitheatre in front of families and friends.

Sunday 9 August

At 10:00 pm comes the big tribute to Fabrizio De André, “Una notte per Faber” (A night for Faber): an evening devoted entirely to the songs of the Genoese singer-songwriter, who was deeply attached to Sardinia and lived for many years on his Agnata estate in Gallura.

Monday 10 August

On the Saint’s day, at 10:00 pm, the Amphitheatre turns into a large dance floor for the dance night with Fantasias de Ballos. At 11:00 pm the sky lights up with the fireworks finale by Piano Events, in collaboration with Mario Careddu; the music then carries on with a DJ set by Ale Zeta.

Tuesday 11 August

The last evening, at 10:00 pm, is all about fun with the H.O.T Party, followed once again by the DJ set by Ale Zeta, closing the 2026 celebrations.

Religious celebrations

The spiritual preparation begins on Friday 31 July and continues until Saturday 8 August: every evening at 7:00 pm Holy Mass and the Novena in honour of San Lorenzo are celebrated. On Sunday 9 August, at 7:00 pm, the eve of the feast is marked by Holy Mass and First Vespers in honour of the Saint.

On Monday 10 August, Saint Lawrence’s day, at 10:00 am the procession sets off from the little church of San Lorenzo to the parish church, followed by Holy Mass celebrated by Don Enrico Porcedda. On Tuesday 11 August, again at 10:00 am, the statue makes the return journey with the procession from the parish church to the little church of San Lorenzo, where the closing Holy Mass is celebrated.

How to Reach the San Lorenzo Festival in Bauladu

Frequently Asked Questions about the San Lorenzo Festival in Bauladu

Is there an entrance fee for the San Lorenzo festival in Bauladu?

No, all events are free: the religious celebrations, the processions and the four evenings of entertainment at the Municipal Amphitheatre, from the children’s show to the fireworks finale on 10 August.

When do the San Lorenzo processions take place?

There are two processions, both at 10:00 am: on Monday 10 August the statue of the Saint is carried from the little church of San Lorenzo to the parish church, followed by Holy Mass celebrated by Don Enrico Porcedda; on Tuesday 11 August it makes the return journey from the parish church to the little church, where Holy Mass is celebrated.

Are there activities for children?

Yes, the civic celebrations open on Saturday 8 August at 9:00 pm with the show by the children of the summer camp at the Municipal Amphitheatre, an evening designed for families. The fireworks display on Monday 10 August at 11:00 pm is also a favourite with younger visitors.

Where to park and where to eat in Bauladu?

Bauladu is a small village and parking is easy in the streets around the Municipal Amphitheatre and the historic centre, leaving the procession route clear. For dinner before the shows you can head to nearby villages such as Milis and Paulilatino or to Oristano, about 20 minutes away by car.

History and Traditions

Saint Lawrence (San Lorenzo) was one of the seven deacons of the Church of Rome under Pope Sixtus II, responsible for administering the community’s goods and distributing them to the poor. During the persecution of Emperor Valerian, in 258, he was ordered to hand over the treasures of the Church: according to tradition he appeared before the prefect with the poor, the sick and orphans, presenting them as the community’s true treasures. Sentenced to death, he was martyred on 10 August, burned alive on a gridiron according to his passio; the gridiron became his emblem, together with the palm and the deacon’s red dalmatic. In popular devotion, the shooting stars of August nights are known as the “tears of Saint Lawrence”.

Devotion to the Saint is widespread throughout Sardinia, where August is the month of the great patron-saint festivals: besides Bauladu, he is celebrated in Silanus and many other towns on the island, often with processions between a country chapel or little church dedicated to the Saint and the parish church. In Bauladu the double procession of 10 and 11 August, with the statue leaving its little church for the parish church and returning the next day, is the heart of the festival, entrusted every year to a committee of local residents who collect the offerings and prepare the celebrations.

The village, Baulàdu in Sardinian, takes its name from the Latin vadum latum, “wide ford”, a reference to the Rio Cìspiri that crosses its territory. Inhabited since the Nuragic age, as shown by the Cràbia nuraghe, in the Middle Ages it belonged to the Judicate of Arborea, in the curatoria of Campidano di Milis, and in the 12th century was donated by the rulers of Arborea to the Camaldolese monks of Bonarcado. After Aragonese rule and the marquisate of Arcais, it was merged with Milis in 1927 and regained its municipal autonomy in 1946. Its best-known monument is the parish church of San Gregorio Magno, a 13th-century Romanesque building remodelled in the 18th century.