Festa Italiana Seattle

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Italian Festival

Welcome to Seattle's 26th Annual - Festa Italiana actually is a week-long series of events held the last week of September and culminating in a major Italian Festival at Seattle Center. Since 1988, Festa Italiana has been celebrating the cultural roots of Italians and Italian-Americans in the Pacific Northwest by promoting the arts, the food and the culture that are uniquely Italian. (Photo by Bruce Turner)Grape Stomp Girls

Come join us in the beautiful Fisher Pavilion and the surrounding grounds and buildings at Seattle Center as once again we present the Taste of Italy™, Friday, September 27, and the 26th Annual Italian Festival, September 28 & 29, 2013. Times are 10AM - 9PM, Saturday and 10AM - 6PM, Sunday.

Our highlights include Celebrity Chef headlining a great schedule of cooking demos, two performances daily by Mbrascatu, a Calabrian world-music group from Portland, OR, Sicilian puppetry by the Carter Family Marionettes and a Grape Stomping competition which as to be seen to be believed! By popular demand, the Food Court & Vendor Market has been expanded as well.

As always, we will again offer a wide array of cultural and educational opportunities in which to participate and learn. Year after year, however, our main attractions continue to be food, entertainment and fun for the whole family!

Festa Calendar

Saturday, September 14
Traditional Mass in Italian
5:00 PM at Our Lady of Mt. Virgin Church
2800 S. Massachusetts St. in Seattle, 98144
Free Reception to follow.

Tuesday, September 24
The Italian Club presents
The Festa Italiana Luncheon
11:00 AM in the prestigious
Seattle Yacht Club.
Keynote speaker and the Presentation
of the Gill Centioli Memorial Award
to an outstanding local Italian-American.

Friday, September 27
"Taste of Italy™" Wine Tasting
& Opening Reception
7 PM Center House Armory at Seattle Center.
Great wine, antipasto & live music
Saturday-Sunday, September 28 & 29
The 26th Annual Italian Festival
at the Seattle Center
Everyone is invited - Admission is FREE!

HEADLINERS JUST ANNOUNCED!

Mbrascatu, a five-piece world-music group from Portland, OR has just been announced to be the headliners at an all-ages concert & dance Saturday evening at the Italian Festival. Opening the show at 6:30 PM will be perennial favorites Tony LaStella & the Goombas.

BALLET PREVIEW AT FESTA

Dante's Inferno: The Ballet

Attend Festa and be one of the first to see a sneak preview of this dramatic new ballet, which will have its world premiere at Meydenbauer Center in February, 2014. Based on Dante Alighieri's classic journey through the nine levels of Hell, this chilling and beautiful tour-de-force includes exciting music, demonic dancing, stunning costumes and original choreography. Presented by Burmer Music, www.dantesinfernoballet.com.

 

come for the food - stay for the fun

Celebrity Chef for 2013 is
author Maria Liberati

Award-winning Italian cookbook author and international model-turned-chef, Maria Liberati, will be the headliner on the "Greatest Italian Chefs" Cooking Stage at the 2013 Italian Festival. Considered one of the foremost experts in Italian cuisine, culinary travel, wine and culture, Maria has been described as the "Italian Martha Stewart" by Celebrity Society Magazine. In 2010, The Gourmand World Cookbook Awards selected Maria's "The Basic Art of Italian Cooking: Holidays & Special Occasions" as the Best Italian Cuisine Book in the USA. She is frequently found center-stage at many consumer and trade show events and serves as a spokesperson for many food and kitchen related companies. Maria divides her time between her residence in the USA and Italy, where she writes her books and hosts specialty culinary and wine programs at some of Italy's most beautiful vineyards and olive groves. Food enthusiasts will be excited to watch Maria cook some of her favorite Italian recipes at 3 PM Saturday and Sunday with book-signing to follow. Just last month Maria was named Culinary Blogger of the Year by the New York Travel Writer's Society (NTWS) and by cooking at Seattle's Festa, Maria joins the list of such culinary luminaries as Mario Batali, Giuliano Bugali, Anne Burrell, Biba Caggiano, Michael Chiarello, Rocco DiSpirito, Mary Ann Esposito, Michol Negrin, and Christina Pirello. Visit Maria's blogsite.

Maria's appearance both days will be preceded by 2011 Celebrity Chef Rosella Rago, host of the online culinary show "Cooking with Nonna." Since 2009, this Web-TV star has been interviewing the "greatest chefs in the world" - our Italian grandmothers - and sharing their recipes and cooking techniques with homemakers and food preparers everywhere. Rossella is sponsored by the inventor of the fully automatic espresso coffee machines Saeco and her bio is fascinating. Rossella appears at 2 PM each day.

See all the recipes for last year's "Great Italian Chefs" for 2012.

grape stomp

Danzante Grape Stomp - Jump in with both feet and make wine as they used to in the old country. Put together a three-person team and compete for T-shirts and great prizes. What a Show! More Grape Stomp information.
Bocce Tournament

Oberto Bocce Tournament - Now on four courts in the Seattle Center Pavilion, this Italian version of lawn bowling is always one of our most popular events. Tournament rules and Bocce information.

Festa Italiana Seattle Exhibits
Attractions and exhibits include children's activities in the Kid's Courtyard, Italian and Italian-American arts and craft, a pizza toss, an Italian Classic Vehicle show, the FOTOITALIANA Gallery Show of contemporary Italy and a chance to relive memories of Seattle's original Italian families in the Historical Photo Display. Plus pizza, pasta, prosciutto, salami, focaccia, gelato, espresso and more!



Sicilian Sight Hounds known in Italian as Cirneci dell'Etna, will be exhibited along with Italian Greyhounds and other Italian breeds as part of the expanded children's activities at the Italian Festival. See the complete schedule.

Want a Complete List of Vendors & Exhibitors?
Click Here!

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