Reiseführer · · von Redazione Capodanno a Sorrento
New Year's Eve in Sorrento 2027: the complete guide
New Year's Eve in Sorrento 2027: the Piazza Tasso party, fireworks, dinners, hotels, prices, trains and local traditions for 31 December 2026.
New Year's Eve in Sorrento means a festive dinner in a restaurant or hotel, a free party in Piazza Tasso with live music until the small hours and fireworks over the sea at Marina Piccola. Earlier on 31 December the town centre fills up for two local traditions you will not see anywhere else: the Ciuccio di fuoco and the Canzone de lo Capodanno. This guide to New Year's Eve 2027 in Sorrento, Italy (the night of 31 December 2026) covers everything you need: what happens hour by hour, what it costs, where to stay, how to get there and when to book.
One honest caveat: the town's official programme for 31 December is usually announced in the last days of December (in 2025 it came out on 30 December). What follows is how the night went in 2025/26, which is the most reliable guide. We will update our events calendar as soon as the 2026/27 programme is out.
What to do on New Year's Eve in Sorrento: the day of 31 December
New Year's Eve in Sorrento runs from late morning to 3am, and nearly everything happens within walking distance of Corso Italia, Piazza Tasso and the sea. This is how it went in 2025/26, as part of the town's winter festival "M'Illumino d'Inverno":
- 11:30am, Teatro Tasso: year-end concert by the Società dei Concerti di Sorrento.
- From 5pm, Corso Italia and the old town: a street parade of the folk group singing the traditional New Year's Song.
- 6pm, Piazza Tasso: the Ciuccio di fuoco ("fire donkey"), with actor Marco Palmieri.
- 11pm to 3am, Piazza Tasso: live music, DJ sets and the midnight countdown.
- After midnight, Marina Piccola: fireworks over the harbour (see timing below).
In between comes the big decision: dinner. If you dine at your hotel you will probably stay there for the toast and the music; if you book a restaurant in the centre you can walk to the square around 11:30pm.
New Year's Eve dinner: restaurant or hotel package?
If you already have a room, a restaurant dinner keeps you flexible. If you still need to book everything, a hotel package with the gala dinner is the easiest option and often the best value.
Dinner in a restaurant
Most restaurants open on 31 December serve a set menu of several courses, mostly seafood, with a midnight toast. Some keep their à la carte menu, which can work out cheaper if you are a light eater. Popular tables sell out early and usually require a deposit. In the 2025/26 season, for example, a seafront dinner at Vela Bianca started at around €130 per person (indicative, to be confirmed). See all current options on our New Year's Eve dinners in Sorrento page.
Hotel package with gala dinner
Packages usually include one to three nights, breakfast, the New Year's Eve gala dinner with live music and often brunch or lunch on 1 January. Many hotels require a minimum stay of two or three nights. The big plus: no driving or hunting for a taxi after midnight. Browse the New Year packages in Sorrento.
Party or dinner-dance
If dancing matters more than food, choose a veglione (dinner plus music and DJ at the same venue) or join the free party in Piazza Tasso after dinner. See our New Year's Eve parties.
The party in Piazza Tasso
Sorrento's New Year's party takes place in Piazza Tasso, the main square. It is free, and in 2025/26 it ran from 11pm to 3am with live music and DJ sets. At midnight the square is packed with locals, families from the peninsula and hotel guests coming out after dinner.
Two practical tips. In recent years the town has banned glass bottles and cans around the party area (in 2024/25 from 11pm to 2am within 500 metres of Piazza Tasso), so the toast is made with plastic or paper cups. And the square is small for the crowd: with small children, arrive before 11:30pm or stay near the edges.
Fireworks at Marina Piccola: what time and where to watch
The fireworks are launched over the sea at Marina Piccola, the harbour below the town, and are best seen from above. The time varies from year to year. In 2025/26 the town's press release announced them for 1am, an hour after the toast, although some outlets reported midnight. In 2024/25 they were announced for midnight. Check the official programme in late December. Good viewpoints include the terrace of the Villa Comunale gardens, which looks straight down on Marina Piccola, and the cliff-top hotel terraces. More tips are in where to watch the fireworks in Sorrento.
Local traditions: the fire donkey and the New Year's Song
The Ciuccio di fuoco is a papier-mâché donkey loaded with firecrackers, pulled into the square by musicians and an old man who stands for the year that is ending. It is set alight at 6pm, and as it burns it carries away the bad things of the old year. The custom has farming roots and has been held in Sorrento on 31 December for about ten years.
The Canzone de lo Capodanno is a long song of good wishes born in Piano di Sorrento. Tradition says it was first sung on 1 January 1700. Groups still perform it in the streets with tambourines and folk instruments. Read more in Sorrento's New Year traditions.
Where to stay in Sorrento for New Year's Eve
For the party, stay in the centre within walking distance of Piazza Tasso. For peace and quiet, choose Sant'Agnello, Piano, Meta, Vico Equense or the hills of Massa Lubrense, but plan how you will get back after midnight. Only about one hotel in four is open at New Year: Federalberghi reported in late 2024 around twenty hotels open in Sorrento, heading for full occupancy, with average stays of 3–4 nights. Compare the areas in our guide where to stay in Sorrento at New Year and see the hotels open for the holidays.
Getting there and getting around on 31 December
Arrive in Sorrento by the afternoon of 31 December. In 2025 the last Circumvesuviana train left Naples for Sorrento at 6:53pm and the last one from Sorrento to Naples at 7:02pm, and no trains run after that. By car, remember the town-centre ZTL (restricted traffic zone): from 7 December to 6 January it applies on public holidays and the days before them, from 7:30pm to 4am. If your hotel is inside it, ask the hotel to register your number plate. More in how to get to Sorrento on 31 December.
When to book New Year's Eve 2026-2027
Book between October and mid-November. Few hotels open, several packages ask for payment or a deposit by 30 November (some are non-refundable), and the most popular restaurants are often full by the end of November. Early-booking discounts sometimes run until the end of September.
How much does New Year's Eve in Sorrento cost?
Expect anything from around €100–150 per person for dinner only to more than €1,000 per person for three nights in a five-star hotel. For reference, the Italian average for a restaurant New Year's Eve dinner in 2025/26 was €94 per person, or €120 with dancing (Fipe-Confcommercio). In the 2025/26 season, packages on our site started at about €200 per person for one night with dinner and live music, and €320 per person for two nights (indicative prices, to be confirmed). Full breakdown: how much New Year's Eve in Sorrento costs.
New Year in the other towns of the Sorrento Peninsula
- Vico Equense: toast at 11:59pm in Piazza Umberto I with live music and a DJ set, and a classical concert on 1 January (2025/26).
- Massa Lubrense: the New Year's Song in the streets of Sant'Agata on 31 December, and a living nativity at the Monticchio monastery.
- Sant'Agnello: the mayor's New Year toast with music in Piazza Matteotti on 1 January at 11:30am.
- Piano di Sorrento and Meta: quieter celebrations, church concerts and dinners in local restaurants and hotels.
Compare them in New Year on the Sorrento Coast: 6 towns compared.
What to do on 1 January
Sleep in, enjoy a long lunch and walk by the sea. Many hotels serve a New Year's Day brunch and several restaurants stay open. In 2025/26 there was a classical concert in Vico Equense and living nativities at Monticchio and Fornacelle. On 1 January 2026 the Naples–Sorrento trains paused from about 2pm to 4pm. Ideas in what to do in Sorrento on 1 January.
Before and after New Year: lights, markets and nativity scenes
The town's festive programme, "M'Illumino d'Inverno", usually comes out between mid and late November (on 29 November in 2025) and in 2025/26 ran from 30 November to 18 January. Last season's highlights included the tree lighting in Piazza Tasso on 6 December, the Christmas Garden in the Villa Comunale (15 December to 7 January), Christmas markets in Piazza Lauro and in the San Francesco cloister, the living nativity "Araprite 'e purtune" in the old town (28–30 December) and the Sorrento Film & Food Festival at Teatro Tasso in early January. We add the 2026/27 dates to the events calendar as soon as they are announced.
What is the weather like in Sorrento at New Year?
Mild but cool: December averages range from about 9–11°C at night to 14–15°C by day, with around ten rainy days in the month. Bring a warm jacket for midnight in the square. See Sorrento weather in December.
Are there trains on New Year's Eve night?
No. The Circumvesuviana stops in the early evening of 31 December (last trains around 7pm in 2025). After midnight you can only get around on foot, by pre-booked taxi or by private transfer.
Are private fireworks allowed?
Usually not. In 2025/26 a town ordinance banned firecrackers and the sale of drinks in glass and cans, and Massa Lubrense has banned them in past years. The official display at Marina Piccola still goes ahead.
Is Sorrento good for New Year's Eve with children?
Yes, especially in the afternoon: kids love the fire donkey at 6pm and the parade. At midnight the square is crowded, so a hotel with entertainment or a terrace view of the fireworks is easier. See New Year in Sorrento with children.
Is the party in the square free?
Yes. The party in Piazza Tasso, the fire donkey, the parade and the fireworks are free and open to everyone.
Is Sorrento on the Amalfi Coast?
No. Sorrento is the main town of the Sorrento Peninsula, on the Bay of Naples. It is the gateway to the Amalfi Coast, which starts beyond the ridge towards Positano, and makes an easy day trip on 1 January.
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