fbpx

La Festa – Food & Wine

When

July 27, 2024

10:00 am

- 10:00 pm

-

-

-

-

Where

Fogarty Park, 42-50 Esplanade, Cairns City

Cost

From
$20

Get ready for an Italian extravaganza like no other!

Save the date and join us Saturday 27 July 2024 at Fogarty Park for a spectacular day of family fun, as we celebrate all things Italian culture. The Cairns Italian Festival is back for a third year, so get ready for an Italian extravaganza that is bigger and better than ever before!

Indulge in the mouth-watering flavours of Italy with an amazing array of food and drink stalls, featuring the very best of Italian culinary delights from different Italian regions. You’ll be spoiled for choice with our food and beverage options this year. Your favourite food vendors are back along with new stalls too. And if a little Italian courage is in order, the famous Aperol Combi Van is back again this year, plus the bar will be stocked with the best Italian wines, beers and cocktails. Savour the taste of Italy’s finest wine, coffee, and other delicious treats that will leave your taste buds dancing with joy.

And this year, you can take a little piece of Italy home with you and recreate the magic in your kitchen for your family and friends with our range of Italian delicatessen stalls selling delicious produce every Nonna would approve of.

But that’s not all, we have an amazing line-up of entertainment that will make you feel like you are in the heart of Italy. Be mesmerized by live performances showcasing the best of Italian music and dancing. And if you’re bringing the kids, there will be plenty of activities to keep them entertained and engaged.

This is the perfect family day out, and we can’t wait to see you there! So, mark your calendars and get ready to experience the ultimate Italian Cultural Celebration at Fogarty Park.

Cost:

  • Adult: $20
  • Child (5 – 16 years): $10
  • Infants (0 – 4 years): FREE
  • Family Pass ( 2 adults + 2 children): $55
  • Prices don’t include booking fees

Keen to know which vendors will be at La Festa? See a full list of vendors here.

Inclusions:

For all the previous photos, please click here.

Entertainers

Siesta Cartel

Siesta Cartel

Siesta Cartel are a unifying musical movement led by a group of young Italians from Melbourne whose hearts beat to the music they play from a time long ago, where their beloved traditions was born. On a mission to unite all Italians in Australia with the music that helped raise them and they still love today.

“The sound of that music reminds me of my heritage. That sound today is Siesta Cartel”

The Italian Stallions

Joining forces for the first time ever, three of Australia’s premier male vocalists are coming together exclusively for the Cairns Italian Festival to create the ultimate Italian musical experience.

Tony Mazell, George Vumbuca and Dean Canan will be backed by some of the country’s finest musicians, as they showcase and pay tribute to the Italian classics from yesteryear which will also include San Remo hits and modern day tunes.

An added bonus in the vocal department will be the amazing Claudia Migliaccio who will be joining The Italian Stallions for the Festival. Over her 14 years as a professional vocalist, Claudia has had many highlights , one of those being part of The Voice Australia Season 4. Embracing her Italian heritage, Claudia is a sort after Artist in the Australian Italian Scene. Expect to hear the songs you know and love from Artists that include Toto Cutugno, Umberto Tozzi, Eros Ramazotti & Il Divo to name a few.

Youseff Ben Touati

A life spent between the stove, the wood-fired oven, and many travels, always chasing his passion: pizza. This is the story of Youssef Ben Touati, born in Perugia, Italy, 28 years ago.

Youssef comes from a multicultural family of restaurateurs; An Italian mother and a French Tunisian father led Youssef to explore food and ethnic cuisine from all around the world.

Youssef approached the kitchen for the very first time when he was only a young teenager. His family owned a restaurant in Tuscany, in the beautiful Argentario peninsula where he used to spend his summer holidays. After finishing school, Youssef decided to start his first working experience at his uncle’s restaurant “La Casetta”, in Perugia.

After a few months, he realized his job would develop into something serious. Youssef loved working in the restaurant kitchen and never felt tired of cooking.

After this first experience at his uncles’ restaurant, he had the occasion to approach some real master of Neapolitan pizza. And this is when his passion for the pizza industry began. After just a short period of time, Youssef realized he had the right skills to train together with the Italian National Team of Pizzaioli, at that time guided by Danilo Pagano. Youssef competed in several national and international contests around Italy, winning regional, national and international prizes; He obtained the first place for FreeStyle pizza and a bronze medal for Gourmet pizza at the International Pizza Championship in Rimini in 2013.

He is also a member of the Acrobatic Pizza Italian Team even if he always likes to remember that acrobatic pizza is something playful that has nothing to do with the art of making pizza and all the elaborate techniques involved in dough making.

After having traveled all around Europe together with the Italian National Team, he decided to take a new challenge by moving to Australia. 4 years ago, Youssef took a chance and reached Brisbane when at that time, he could barely speak English. In the beginning, his experience in Australia was a sort of adventure and did not have high expectations. He then decided to stay in Australia when some good work opportunities gave him the chance to grow professionally and share his skills with the Australian pizza industry.

DJ Stefano Marcianò

A resident DJ at Italian bars and clubs nights around Melbourne, headline DJ for the Melbourne Italian Festa and playing guest spots across Italy, he has continued to develop his sound by hitting the studio to remix and re-imagine hits of the Italian stalwarts of the 60s-90s. He’ll have you dancing to songs you didn’t know you know and spark a nostalgia for a time you probably didn’t live through.

CARO Voices, Cairns and Regional Opera

Owned & operated by Adrian Strooper & Frank Dangelico, we are a local company giving the Cairns region, access to unique concerts by Australian classical and Avante-garde artists. We are committed to instilling a sense of pride in financially supporting Australia’s artists.

CARO voices is also about educating and supporting our local young and semi-professional artists by learning via masterclasses, workshops and pre-show talks. Our aim is to give the immense talent of the Cairns region access to the same exposure and opportunities as our southern students.

We have a pool of local professional and semi-professional artists available to sing at your function, wedding or major event. Our performances range from The Cairns Italian Festival “Festa” Day in 2023 to a crowd of 5000+ people to special events at Sheraton Grand Mirage Port Douglas right through to private events to 6 people. CARO is continually raising the bar or Opera & Classical performances to our region.

Turning Pointe

Turning Pointe Dance Studios is synonymous with entertainment and are thrilled to be performing at the 2023 Cairns Italian Festival. Enriching the Cairns region for over 25 years, the highly acclaimed local dance troupe has received accolades both interstate and internationally. Dancers will provide a spectacular showcase of dance entertainment throughout the festival ranging from Traditional Italian Dance to much loved Italian Classics, to Current Chart Toppers! In a kaleidoscope of colour, don’t miss this entertainment for the whole family to enjoy!

Luciano-Codotto

Luciano Codotto

Luciano Codotto will peform the Australian and Italian National Anthem at La Festa.

Born in Latisana, the Italian region of Friuli. Started singing at the age of 3 in kindergarten. Migrated to Cairns in 1956, Luciano has been entertaining the North Qld community since the 1960’s. He has appeared in over 30 musicals and operas, many with The Cairns Choral Society, Townsville Choral Society and the Qld Opera Company. He’s played several leading roles in musical comedy.

Luciano has entertained State Premiers, Ambassadors, sung on the exclusive Lizard Island, has entertained at countless weddings, multicultural and religious festivals throughout the Far North region. Luciano was President of the Italian Social & Dance Club of Cairns for 26 years where he led a tradition Italian folk dancing and singing group.

The Spaghetti Eating Competition is back!

When it comes to pasta, Italy is unrivalled beyond doubt. As the world’s biggest producers and consumers – approximately twenty-five kilos per person every year, unexpectedly followed by Tunisians – Italians are probably the only people happy to eat pasta more than once every day!

And you? How much pasta can you handle?

During the competition, each participant will get a large bowl of spaghetti. Players must eat the spaghetti without cutlery and with their hands behind their backs. The first person to eat all their spaghetti is the winner. Make sure to enter the competition first prize for each category is $500!

Competition Categories:
Senior category – open to any one aged 16 years or older.
Junior category – open to any one from 12 to 15 years old.