Buon Natale
Buon Natale, meaning Merry Christmas in Italian (Malayalam: ബോൺ നത്താലെ), is a cultural festival in Thrissur, Kerala. Organized by the Thrissur Archdiocese and Thrissur Citizenry with Christmas celebrations, it has been held every year since 2013 to raise funds for charity. The festival is famous for its Santa Claus procession around Thrissur’s Swaraj Round.
In 2014, Buon Natale entered the Guinness World Records for the most people dressed as Santa Claus, with 18,112 participants (earlier editions had about 5,000 Santas and 2,000 angels). The celebrations were halted in 2020 and 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The 10th edition took place on 27 December 2022, starting at St. Thomas College and looping around Swaraj Round; the chief guest was John Barla, Union Minister of State for Minority Affairs.
By 2024, more than 15,000 people joined the Santa procession. The event was inaugurated by Thrissur Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath, with other ministers and local leaders in attendance. The procession started from St Thomas College, circled Swaraj Round, and ended at Saktan Thampuran Ground. That year featured a theme song by Jerry Amaldev, plus flash mobs, tableaux, skating Santas, a robot Santa, a drone Santa, and AI-powered moving floats created by Jyothi Engineering College. About 110 parishes under the Thrissur Archdiocese participated, highlighting Thrissur’s festive spirit and communal harmony.
This page was last edited on 2 February 2026, at 17:45 (CET).