With Easter around the corner get ready for a "bella festa" this weekend at the 20th Annual Festa Italiana in historic Ybor City! The official Opening Party is this evening at the Wines of Italy event, from 6 pm to 9 pm at the beautiful Italian Club on 7th Avenue in the heart of Ybor. Guests will enjoy live entertainment and delicious Italian-inspired bites from Carrabba's Italian Grill - South Tampa, Anise Global Gastrobar, The Taco Traveler, and more. There will also be a silent auction featuring over 100 exciting prizes, with all proceeds going to benefit the Italian Club Restoration Fund. Over 70 premium wines from Italy's vast wine regions will be available for sampling, including tasty varieties of Chianti, Moscato, Pinot Grigio, Prosecco, and much more. General admission tickets are only $60, and are still available.
The Krewe of Italia Bocce Ball Invitational will be at Tampa's Festa Italiana on Friday evening at Centennial Park, with check-in beginning at 6 pm. The Krewe of Italia is one of Tampa's premier Gasparilla krewes, brought together to promote the mission of the Italian Club of Tampa - to honor the traditions, culture, and heritage of the Italian community in the Bay area, and to preserve the historic Italian Club as a functioning memorial to the working class Italian immigrants who helped build our wonderful city.
Festa Italiana Saturday runs from 11 am to 5:30 pm, at various locations throughout Ybor CIty. The annual Bocce Ball Tournament will be held at Centennial Park, while the Italian Idol and Homemade Vino competitions will both be held at the Italian Club. Don't miss out on the Ybor City Saturday Market, also in Centennial Park - a popular place to pick up fresh local produce, unique gift items, and of course, delicious homemade Italian food! Be sure to look for Dave with his intricately woven pine needle baskets and more.
The Festa Italiana main event will be Sunday, April 9th, beginning with a special Mass at the Italian Club at 10 am. The party moves to Centennial Park at 11:30 am, with over 35 of Tampa Bay's top restaurants and catering companies providing a wide range of lip-smacking vittles. There will be a special Children's Area featuring fun Italian-style games and activities for kids - could there be a Pulcinella puppet show!? Adults can head over to the Club Italia Party Tent for nommy handcrafted Italian cocktails and wine pairings amid a lounge atmosphere. Don't miss the highly entertaining and creatively be-hatted Zucchero on the main stage! Admission is only $10, with a special Festa Feast Deal for $25, and a swanky VIP deal for $75.
For the main event, you will want to bring folding chairs or blankets with you, grab your sunscreen and plan on spending the day listening and dancing to live music, dining on some of Tampa's finest Italian cuisine and relaxing with your friends and family at this premier cultural event in Tampa.
Read more about Things to Do this weekend and Tampa's Festa Italiana in Things to Do in Tampa Bay this Weekend April 7-9. Always a bella good time - and don't forget to look for 813area photographers in the crowd and smile! Get your tickets now for the Festa Italiana Weekend in Ybor City!
