The story
Almond Blossom Festival Agrigento in Agrigento
Begun in Naro in 1934 and moved to Agrigento in 1937, this festival marks the almond trees blooming around the Valley of the Temples with a torchlight procession and, since 1954, an International Folklore Festival. Costumed dance and music troupes from many countries compete for the Tempio d'Oro trophy, typically making this Italy's first folk festival of the calendar year.
The idea for a festival tied to Agrigento's blooming almond trees originated in 1934 in nearby Naro, conceived by Count Alfonso Gaetani as a way to mark the end of winter and support local agricultural trade; the event moved to Agrigento in 1937 for practical reasons and to draw participation from across the province, with its first Agrigento edition held on 14 February that year.