THUNDER BAY – Festa Italiana celebrated its 34th year on Sunday and will continue festivities on Monday from noon until 11 p.m.
Matt Pascuzzo, public relations chair for the Italian Society of Port Arthur, said he expects the crowd to grow throughout the day.
“We've had some really good weather today so far and people are really excited to be back at Festa, picking up their Italian food and catching some of the entertainment,” he said on Sunday.
Pascuzzo said it’s a great event every year.
“I think it's really a testament to the people of our community who come out and continue to support this kind of thing. You go back 34 years, there were some guys who are part of the society that thought, ‘why not set something up where we can support and promote Italian culture and heritage?’
“It's gone on this long. We give a big thanks to the community who come out to support this kind of event,” he said.
“What people like the most is that when they come here, they know what they're getting. There's the food, the entertainment, the beer gardens and the draw for a trip to Italy.
“I think that's what people really like about Festa is – it stays the same, but it still offers something for everybody every single year.”
Pascuzzo thanked the over 100 volunteers for helping out.
“We have people who are part of the Italian Society of Port Arthur who organize and arrange everything that you see here today. All of the vendors that are here today are volunteer based organizations. All the people in the kitchen are volunteers.
“They're spending their weekend putting pasta into containers and selling it and selling tickets. We're very grateful for the volunteers, because without them we wouldn't be able to do this,” he said.
The food is the big draw to people, Pascuzzo said.
“I think that's what people come for is the authentic Italian experience and the authentic Italian food. I'm lucky – I could probably have it whenever I really wanted, but that's not the same for everybody.”
Pascuzzo said in previous years they have seen up to 10,000 people at Festa over the weekend, and organizers hope to see just as many this year.