Rod Berry
Italian Festival
Each Columbus Day weekend, people flood the streets for a weekend of food, entertainment and Italian culture. The Columbus Italian Festival has been a staple of Italian pride in the city attracting over 35,000 visitors annually.
1980 was declared the ‘Year of the Family’ by the Catholic Bishops of the United States. Father Castro Marrapese of St. John The Baptist Italian Catholic Church began to dream of an event that would make American Italians proud of their heritage and incentivize staying faithful to their religious and moral values. After much consideration, an annual Italian Festival was the unanimous choice.
The festival has been a smash hit from its inception. During its inaugural year, the festival was to be held at the Lausche Building on the Ohio State Fairgrounds. After months of preparation, event coordinators hoped for a crowd of around 4-5,000.
Festival promoters were pleased and left in awe as well over 10,000 guests flocked to the grounds generating a successful profit. The large crowds clogged traffic in both directions on I-71 and 17th Avenue.
On several occasions, the event had such a large turnout that the Lausche Building became overcrowded and the fire marshal closed the building. In 1999, the festival was moved to its current home on the grounds of St. John The Baptist Italian Catholic Church.
The festival has been built on the core values that Father Marrapese instilled in his parishioners over four decades ago; faith, family and friends.
In an article to his parish, Marrapese wrote, “These three elements represent the basic characteristics of the Italian people and their culture.”
Since then, the festival has continued to grow tripling its average visitors and expanding the on-site vendors and entertainment.
This year the festival kicks off with a ‘A Night In Verona.’ A dinner and dance at The Berwick with music from Ray Massa’s Eurorhythms on Monday, Oct. 2nd. On-site festivities will begin Friday, Oct. 6th with entertainment on both stages starting at 5:30 p.m.
Friday will also see the start of the bocce ball competitions hosted at the Columbus Italian Festival. Four-player teams will compete in double-elimination tournaments on each day of the weekend for a chance at the crown.
The festival is known for its unique and engaging Italian cultural events that are littered throughout the weekend. These include seminars on homemade ricotta cheese and the art of pizza making.
Keep the kids happy by enjoying festival rides all weekend long with tasty treats around every turn.
A send-off parade traditionally takes place on the last day of the festival stretching through the Victorian Village, Short North and Italian Village at 1 in the afternoon. All event and visitor info can be found on the festival’s website.
Nathan Mader is an editorial assistant at CityScene Media Group. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
