Italian Festa: All things Italian in the heart of Carlton

Italian Festa: All things Italian in the heart of Carlton

Melbourne’s 2024 Italian Festa attracted more than 100,000 attendees, with a broad range of Italian foods, music, and live events, bringing the Italian community and Melburnians closer together.

The Italian Festa is an annual event that warmly welcomes people of all nationalities and age groups to celebrate the unique diversity of Italian culture.

This year’s Festa took place at the Royal Exhibition Building and the Melbourne Museum Plaza throughout the weekend of October 5 and 6.

In previous years, the Italian Festa was held in Argyle Square on Lygon St.

It was only last year that things took an exciting turn and the Italian Festa moved its location to provide a larger area for visitors to enjoy Melbourne’s bustling Italian tradition.

As the most renowned Italian event in Victoria, this year’s free event hosted more than 140 businesses, bringing to the public live demonstrations, a variety of fine Italian wine and foods, arts and crafts, disco music until late, and many more fun activities.

“We join together and enjoy our culture, our food, our music and give an opportunity to everybody else [who doesn’t have] an Italian background to learn more about our lifestyle and culture,” CO.AS.IT marketing consultant Elaine Bocchini said.

Each year visitors are able to see live street theatre and Italian folk dancing featuring experienced Italian performers, as well as finding out how to make the most of a trip to Italy from live guest speakers.

Also taking place for the first time in Australia was the Zecchino d’Oro Italian music competition dedicated to children, which saw well over 400 students from across 12 Victorian primary schools performing live on stage to all-time classic Italian music.

“Last year when CO.AS.IT took over [organising the Italian Festa] we decided to make it more comprehensive by moving it to the Royal Exhibition Building,” Ms Bocchini said.

The new venue gave the opportunity for a double space with one indoor stage and an outdoor stage for performers, making the Festa ideal for all weather conditions.

From live Italian magic shows to speeches and traditional live music, the Italian Festa provided something entertaining for everyone.

Running for four decades, the Italian Festa has received continuous support from contributors of Italian associations, institutions and private companies. 

It also receives generous funding from the State Government through the Multicultural Affairs - Department of Families, Fairness and Housing, and from the City of Melbourne.

As the main organiser, CO.AS.IT has developed a four-year commitment plan to the project, with the aim of engaging a more diverse and broader audience in alignment with the rejuvenated concept of the Italian Festa between 2023 and 2026.

“The offer is much, much more comprehensive,” Ms Bocchini said.

“Because it’s not just food, it’s a whole presentation of everything Italian, including fashion, craft and arts, automotives, homeware, cosmetics, a section dedicated to wine, and we even had a section with everything for kids,” she said.

“Everybody was happy, everybody was saying it was like being in Italy.” •

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