Celebrate the arrival of spring, the start of Brisbane Festival, your papà on Father’s Day, or simply your palate with the unmissable Italian festival experience of Festitalia!
Experience la dolce vita right in the River City at Queensland’s official Italian festival that celebrates and immerses attendees in everything Italy, from the infectious passion of its people and melodic romance of its language, the cutting-edge elegance of Italian fashion, the beauty of its arts, and the exceptional wines and mouth-watering cuisine that have made their way all over the world.
Dating back all the way to 2006, Festitalia was first conceived of as a celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Italian Republic. With over 30,000 participants, that first New Farm Park event showed that the people of Brisbane were hungry for more, and the rest is history.
What to expect
As you might imagine, food is at the centre of it all, with over 30 flavour-makers bringing their best Italian-inspired dishes including authentic wood-fired pizza, pasta, gnocchi, risotto, arancini and, for those with a sweet tooth, cannoli, tiramisu, and more! Of course, no Italian feast would be complete without gelato and espresso to finish off the meal.
That might be the best time to enter dad into the “Who’s got the biggest pancia” (belly) contest, or burn off the past in a sack race or tug of war competition. There will be other quirky contests such as who can throw a slipper the furthers, grape stomping minus the grapes and, for those stylish dads out there, the best dressed papà will be crowned.
Italy’s long, varied and influential history will also be represented thanks to fascinating exhibitions such as a Roman village display put on by the Ancient Historical Society Mare Nostrvm, lively performances by Roman re-enactment group Pax Romana, a display of Royal Italian Army military uniforms and artifacts, and a demonstration of swordsmanship from the Renaissance era, that you can even try your hand at!
If you’d prefer something a bit more modern, Italian aerodynamic engineering and sleek design will get their time to shine when the Ferrari Club of Australia bring their striking, roaring machines to the festival at 1pm.
Although clearly there’s no risk of being bored, there will also be live entertainment, from comedian Ray Liotta to duos, bands, opera singers, Commedia dell’Arte roving performers and other surprises!
Practical info
Festitalia will take place on Sunday, September 7 from 10am to 6pm at the Brisbane Showgrounds.
Family tickets (2 adults and 2 children) are $45, while adult tickets cost $20 and children under 12 pay $9. You can get all types of tickets here.