13th edition, January 2, 2026

The parade and performances featuring costumes, masks, carolers, ensembles, ploughs, goats, and bears are preparing to fill the streets of Târgu-Neamț, as 22 groups have already registered for the festival:

• “Codrii Neamțului” Ensemble – Piatra Neamț
• “The Stag of Zbereni” Procession – Iași
• The Yeomen of Cracău – The Bears’ Invasion – Cracău
• “The Oxen Plough” from Humulești
• The Shepherds’ Procession with Masks and the Bears of Girov
• “Codrii Stănișoarei” – Borca
• The Arnăuți from Humulești
• The Arnăuți from Văratec
• The Arnăuți from Bariera – Târgu Neamț
• “The Treasures of Neamț” – Piatra Neamț
• Arnăuți Agapia
• “The Suman Makers” – Trifești
• The Hunter Arnăuți – Neamț
• The Arnăuți of Dumbrava (Timișești)
• “The Silent Goat” – Preutești
• “Bujorelul” Ensemble – Vatra Dornei
• “The Girls’ Buhai” – Boiștea
• “The Little Crown of Moldavia” – Costuleni, Iași
• “The Goat Procession” – Petricani
• Customs Ensemble from Joldești, Vorona, Botoșani
• The Procession from Răucești
• “Ținutul Zimbrului” Ensemble – Târgu Neamț

Registrations are open until December 30.

Like the winter customs and traditions festival “Steaua Sus Răsare” in Piatra-Neamț, the event in Târgu-Neamț is becoming increasingly sought after each year for the spectacle of costumes and dance, for the meaning and impact of the messages these events convey—showing the public the strength of ancestral traditions and the specificity of the places and their people.

The event will take place in “Adormirea Maicii Domnului” Square, with a parade of the groups and their performances on the festival stage, starting at 10:00 AM.

The New Year Customs and Traditions Festival in Târgu-Neamț is organized by the Neamț County Council, the Târgu-Neamț City Hall and Local Council, the “Ion Creangă” Cultural Center in Târgu-Neamț, and the “Carmen Saeculare” Center for Culture and Arts of Neamț.

Archive images from the festival: