Piedmont
Ivrea Carnival 2027: Battle of the Oranges Dates, Times and How to Watch Safely
The Battle of the Oranges in Ivrea is fought on 7, 8 and 9 February 2027 from 14:00. The carnival dates, the five squares, the red cap and the train there.
Ivrea's Battle of the Oranges is fought on 7, 8 and 9 February 2027, from 14:00.
It lasts three afternoons. The carnival around it starts on 6 January.
The dates and times come from the full programme published by the foundation that runs the Storico Carnevale di Ivrea. The battle fills five squares of the old town on the Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before Lent, and the last night ends with fire.
Quick answer
The battle: Sunday 7, Monday 8 and Tuesday 9 February 2027, from 14:00.
Where: Piazza Ottinetti, Piazza di Città, Borghetto, Piazza del Rondolino and Piazza Freguglia.
The night before: Saturday 6 February at 21:00, when the Mugnaia is presented from the town hall balcony.
The end: Tuesday 9 February, with the burning of the scarli from 20:15.
The trap: standing in an open square without a red cap.
The dates that matter
| Date | Time | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| Wednesday 6 January | From 8:30 | The pipes and drums open the carnival; the General is invested at noon |
| Sundays 24 and 31 January | From 9:00 | Bean feasts in the districts; on the 31st the parade of the battle carts at 10:00 |
| Thursday 4 February | 14:00 | Giovedì Grasso: the General takes over the town, and the historical parade follows |
| Saturday 6 February | 21:00 | Presentation of the Mugnaia, torchlight parade, fireworks at 22:30 |
| Sunday 7 February | 14:00 | First day of the battle |
| Monday 8 February | 14:00 | Second day of the battle |
| Tuesday 9 February | 14:00 | Last day of the battle; awards at 18:00; the scarli burn from 20:15 |
| Wednesday 10 February | 11:00 | Polenta and salt cod in Piazza Lamarmora |
How the battle works
Nine squads fight on foot. They hold the squares. Against them come the carts, drawn by pairs or teams of four horses, with crews in padded costumes and masked helmets, and for three afternoons the crews throw down, the squads throw up and nobody keeps count. The oranges are real. They hurt. The battle recalls a medieval revolt against a tyrant, and its heroine is the miller's daughter, the Mugnaia, who is presented to the town on the Saturday night.
The carts move from square to square, so each of the five sees every crew. Piazza di Città and Piazza Ottinetti are the most crowded. Borghetto, across the old bridge, is the narrowest.
Watching without being hit
By custom everyone in town wears the berretto frigio, a red stocking cap, from Giovedì Grasso. It marks its wearer as part of the carnival, and the squads do not aim at it. Buy one at the first stall. Keep it on.
Nets hang along the sides of the squares. Stand behind them. The pulp reaches the walls, the ground turns to a slick of juice and peel, and old shoes and a waterproof jacket are the sensible uniform. Children are safer in the streets between the squares than at the front of a net.
Sunday, Monday or Tuesday
Carnival Sunday is the big day, and visitors pay an entrance ticket to the town. In 2026 it cost 15 euros plus booking fees. Children under 12 entered free. The foundation publishes the terms for 2027 on its site, and the ticket is worth buying online before the day.
Monday has the same battle and fewer visitors. Tuesday adds the ending. After the awards, a procession burns the scarli, the tall poles wrapped in heather that stand in each district. The fourth burns in Piazza di Città at 21:30 with the Mugnaia present, and the last in Piazza Lamarmora at 22:15, followed by a funeral march.
Reaching Ivrea
Ivrea is on the railway between Chivasso and Aosta. Regional trains from Turin take about an hour, and travellers from Milan change at Chivasso. From the station the old town is a short walk across the Dora Baltea. The centre is closed to traffic on the battle days, which makes the train the practical choice.
Rooms in Ivrea are few and go to regulars. Turin is the base that works, an hour away by train.
The mistake to avoid
Do not arrive at 14:00. The carts line up on Corso Massimo d'Azeglio from 13:00, and the squares are already full by then. Come in the morning, eat beans at a district feast, and choose a net before lunch.
The second mistake is to leave after the Tuesday battle. The burning of the scarli is the quiet half of the carnival. It is over by 23:00.
Related guides
Viareggio Carnival 2027: the six parade dates
Venice Carnival 2027: the dates
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