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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)
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!
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.
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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!
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| 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. |
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BALLET PREVIEW AT FESTA
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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.
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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. |
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| 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.
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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. |
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| 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. |
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Want a Complete List
of Vendors & Exhibitors?
Click
Here!
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