Festa Italiana

Experience a taste of Italy in the heart of Birmingham! Celebrate the second annual Festa Italiana, hosted by the Italian American Heritage Society, on Saturday, April 11, 2026 from 12 to 9 p.m. at Sloss Furnaces (20 32nd St. N., Birmingham, AL 35222). Come immerse yourself in Italian culture with live music, Italian-inspired acts, Italian cuisine, cooking demonstrations, dancing, the Spina Stomp grape stomping event, games, and even Italian cars! Enjoy Festa Italiana’s different villages that each offer unique experiences. Festa Italiana is here to celebrate Italian culture in the Birmingham community!

Contests and competitions for attendees are available on a first-come, first-served basis or by signing up in advance on the website. Bocce Ball, a beloved lawn bowling game, will be open to participants ages 12 and up and will feature a 64-person, single-elimination tournament, as well as open play—both at no additional cost. Tournament winners will receive a trophy! Join the Spina Stomp Grape Stomping competition and team up to compete for who can extract the most juice from grapes with their bare feet. Additionally, the search for Birmingham’s finest sugo is at Festa Italiana! That’s not all! Attendees will have the opportunity to enter a raffle for the chance to win a nine night trip to Italy for two, including roundtrip airline tickets, transportation and breakfast throughout the trip with a prize value of $13,000. Tickets to win will be on sale online and at the Italian American Society booth for $50 each.

Festa Italiana’s Food Village will fill the air with an irresistible aroma of sausage-and-pepper sandwiches made with freshly fried dough, as well as your favorite Italian desserts, cannolis and creamy gelato. Enjoy popular authentic Italian beverages, such as Tito’s Limoncello, Back 40 Italian Lager, Spina Italian Wines, Brevazzi Italian Soda, ice-cold Coca-Cola products, and many more. Food vendors currently signed up include Arnone's Sausage, Bruster’s Real Ice Cream, Burke's, Carrabba's Italian Grill, Da Big Italian, Feast Catering & Culinary Kitchen, Graffeo Brothers Italian Sausage, Hey Bebe, Joe's Italian, Pazzo Big Slice Pizza, Savoie Catering, Slice Pizza & Brew, Tamburro’s Italian Home, Ruscellis, Troup’s Pizza, Tre Luna, Uncle G's Pizza, and Villagio Colafrancesco with more to come! Join this culinary journey through Italy, while indulging in a variety of foods with vibrant flavors.

Festa Italiana’s Villagio Culturale, a replica of an Italian village, will feature a fountain, a church, a bakery, a museum and more. Learn more about Italian heritage with resources on ancestry research and dual citizenship. The Music of Italy village will present jazz stylings of The University of Montevallo Jazz Band with an immersive journey through “A Day in Italy,” presented by Encore Dance. Ken Gilmer will enchant audiences with timeless hits by Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin before Festa Headliner, Vanessa Racci, will take the stage with a special appearance by Hoover Mayor Frank Brocato.

Advanced general admission tickets are $10 and can be purchased at https://www.festaitalianabham.com/. Day of event general admission tickets are $15. Children 10 and under receive free entry. General admission tickets are for admittance only and do not include food and beverage. It is strongly encouraged to purchase tickets in advance in case the event sells out. Attendees are encouraged to sign up for competitions in advance.

Festa Italiana is sponsored by Bruno Rumore Foundation, Coca Cola Bottling United, Classic Car Motoring, Piddlin Art & Antique, Lakeshore Foundation, Sam Spina Importing Company, Ross Tortorigi, Inc., Tito’s Handmade Vodka, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama, Bud Light, Stella Artois, Trucraft Turf Co., Denise Koch Events, Classic Car Motoring, BTC Wholesale Distributors, Baker Camp Arnold Capital Management, City of Birmingham, Servis First Bank, T-Mobile, Renewal by Andersen, U. S. Army, Southpoint Bank, Carrabba’s Italian Grill, Maniscalco Cosmetic & General Dentistry, Altec, ELM Home Building and Solutions, Bravazzi, Legacy of Hope, Aperol Spritz, Burns Brashier & Johnson , WindCreek Casino & Hotel, Joe’s Italian, Honda and Galbani Cheese.