Feast Day of Our Lady of Succour

From August 19 to 21, Castellammare del Golfo celebrates its patron saint, Our Lady of Succour, with the religious and popular event that best defines the town’s identity each year. On August 19, following Holy Mass and the traditional presentation of the keys to the city to the Virgin Mary by the mayor, the evocative procession to the sea takes place: the statue of the Virgin, carried on the shoulders of sailors through the narrow streets of the town center, is placed on a festively decorated boat and accompanied out to sea by the boats of the faithful and fishermen, along a route illuminated by thousands of small candles, culminating in a fireworks display. On August 21, the land procession takes place: the statue leaves the Mother Church and travels through the town’s main streets, while the faithful recite the Rosary in the Castellammare dialect. The festivities conclude with the traditional fireworks that light up the sky over the seaside village. The celebrations are interwoven with the rest of Castellammare’s summer program, which on August 20 also features the Sicilian Cart Parade and a concert by Michele Zarrillo.