Italian Day 2023
Get ready to say “Ciao Bella” to the ultimate community celebration of Italian culture and heritage at this year’s Italian Day 2023 Rinascimento! This year’s Renaissance-themed festival marks new beginnings, with a phoenix rising after a three-year hiatus.
The Drive will once again come alive in green, white, and red, and attendees can enjoy all that the community has to offer.
The festival has an incredible lineup of events. Grandview Park will be the center stage of the festival, where you’ll find opening ceremonies starting at 12pm and concert-style performances throughout the day.
Returning to 3rd Ave, don’t miss Piazza Moda featuring two fashion shows by respective Canadian designers – Atelier GRANDI and JAC by Jacqueline Conoir. Street engagement with music and dancing will also be extended to 2nd Ave and Grant Street in piazza-style formats with stages and seating, and 5th Ave with DJ and pasta eating contest rotations. And just confirmed, 20-year-old Emma Busse, the hometown Italo-Canadian contestant who captured hearts on the current American Idol season, will also be a special guest at this year’s Italian Day festival!
Italian Day 2023 will be a food lover’s paradise – especially in the realm of Italian street food, from pasta, pizza, barbecued meats and fish, panini and arancini, to sweet tooth selections of cannoli and other dolci, gelato, coffee (including local roasters Milano Coffee), and more.
The Authentic Italian Table also returns in partnership with the Italian Chamber of Commerce and will feature a dedicated courtyard in Grandview Park, offering samplings of Italian products, fine wines, and gastronomic delights.
Additional artisanal food samplings will be served up at Bosa Foods Piazza on Parker Street with their own ‘La Famiglia’ product line. Invited to the feast is also a diverse selection of Drive merchants, summer patios, food trucks, carts, and guest vendors. Are you ready to eat? Mangiamo!
But wait, there’s more! Get ready to experience a taste of la dolce vita as Vespa Metro Vancouver and Fontana Forni partner with Italian Day this year!
