Festa Italiana 2012

Festa Italiana starts today!

Celebrating 35 years - "It's Food. It's Family. It's Tradizione."

Celebrating its 35th anniversary, Festa Italiana is the largest Italian event of its kind in America today. The festival runs Thursday, July 19 to Sunday, July 22. Festa is a celebration of Italian food, family, arts, culture and religion.

This year, the Festa Parade will be dedicated to Milwaukee Mayor Henry Maier.

Beginning at the NORTH end of the grounds, Festa Italiana’s enchanting parade will wind its way through the grounds each evening at 5:30, celebrating la nostra comunità (our community), la famiglia (family), la cultura d’Italiana (Italian culture)!

Led by Vespa Scooters (courtesy of Reina International Auto/ Vespa Milw.), this year's parade will offer many surprises!

La Banda Siciliana di Chicago - the Sicilian Band of Chicago will fill the air with music, followed by the proud members of Tradizione Vivente, an outstanding Italian Dance Group here in Milwaukee, the Regional and Renaissance Italian Dance Group, I Bei Bambini (Children’s Italian Dance Group), Carnevale Royalty from the Italian Community Center, Clowns, Jugglers, an absolutely beautiful Children’s Float, stunning imported Italian cars (also courtesy of Reina) and our own Sicilian Carretto (Cart), with, of course, Pinocchio, Geppetto, the Blue Fairy and Topo Gigio leading the way. And we hope many, many children.

...In honor of Festa's 35th Anniversary and of our late Mayor Henry Maier, we celebrate Milwaukee's ethnic heritage by extending an invitation to all of Milwaukee's ethnic festivals to participate in Saturday's parade and represent the many ethnic groups that have made this city the melting pot metropolis that it is today.

Festa Mass is always a highlight.

Hunger Task Force will be collecting non-perishable food items on Festa Sunday, upon entrance to Mass outside of the South gate.

The Italian Community makes a special request of our members and the general public to bring a non-perishable food item to the mass on Sunday to support the Hunger Task Force.

We have established a goal of collecting 10,000 pounds of food at this year’s Festa mass. Please help us reach that goal.

Festa Italiana Sunday Mass

Sunday, July 22, 2012 - 11:00 a.m.

(Gates Open at 10:00 a.m.)

Marcus Amphitheatre.

Another higlight is the nightly Bartolotta fireworks.

Friday's show is the spectacular Abbondanza in the Sky.

There's so much to do and see. There's so much to eat.

Festa Italiana is a great family event.