Festa Italiana

Festa Italiana is the largest Italian-American festival in America. In order to accurately offer commentary on the event, we made both a day and evening visit.

Our first visit began around lunch on Friday, so we could take advantage of free admission. It was the hottest part of the day. When we arrived it was 90, and it was 94 when we left two hours later. 100% of all mid-day attendees fell squarely into two categories: Italian retirees, who quickly occupied the picnic tables along the lakefront; and families with lots of kids, who quickly occupied every piece of shade around the Midway. Luckily, this sorting out of participants didn't turn into a Jets v. Sharks gang stand-off. Although, there were a few jazz-hands and snap filled moments as we wandered through the silver valley of old-timers.

We spent our day time enjoying the free kids rides which were wonderful for both the little ones (2 and 4) and the big ones (12). The little guys did the bouncy house and the merry-go-round and the big guys took on the Vomitron (or Grav-a-tron, can't remember) and the Sizzler. The highlight for the adults was the very cool giant sand sculpture that was built before our eyes.

Needless to say, hot Italian food, however delicious, was not going to be consumed in 90-degrees with any potential of happiness. However, when we returned for the evening visit, we sampled the delicious rice balls (stuffed with cheese and spinach and covered in marinara - thanks Cathy and Callie) featured at Nessun Dorma. We also had the pleasure of sampling gourmet vinegars and olive oils by Oro di Oliva, and a swath of giardinieras, relishes, olives and eggplant salads by the Pepper Connection.

While the food was consistently excellent, the entertainment required some pretty consistent patience. Every act, from the Opera singers, to the Croners, to the Doo Wop groups, droned on incessantly between every single song. Unfortunately, we did not witness any second coming of the Rat Pack, and the long-winded anecdotes were much more reminiscent of Dell Griffith than Dean Martin.

Ratings:

Entertainment is a Paul. All of the musicians were talented, however the acts were hard to get into with all of the boring breaks between every number. However, the kids areas and the free rides in the Midway brought in another reason to attend.
Drink is Lakefront Local Acre. We opted to enjoy $5 glasses of wine for our evening visit. There were also stands that offered both margaritas ($5 - $9) and martinis ($8). Of course, Miller Products were available for $5.50.
Food is Italian Combo with Sweet and Hot Peppers. Literally. I also purchased a one-gallon jar of Hot Giardinieara from the Pepper Connection for $10! I would have bought a case, if we could have figured out means for reasonable transport back to the car that didn't included displacing William from his stroller.
Cost is $9 in advance, $12 at the door. However, there are many options for discount and free admission including 11:30am-1pm free on Friday, free admission for Mass on Sunday, and a free ticket was included with every 12-pack of Peroni (also highly recommended).
Bathrooms are a Trinity.
Adult vs. Family Fun spectrum is Disney.