Across August Bank Holiday weekend we were delighted to share the last of the Summer sunshine with the Salvi’s family at Festa Italiana which welcomed more than 38,000 people to Manchester’s Cathedral Gardens across three days.
The Festa was back in all its glory, after a brief unplanned hiatus whilst the world stopped, welcoming returning favourites and new additions galore. Featured chefs included Aldo Zilli, Gennaro Contaldo, Giancarlo Caldesi and of course both Maurizio and Sienna Cecco, whilst food came from Lucky Mama’s, T’Arricii and Cafe Cannoli among many. A huge range of drinks were on offer with brands including from Birrificio Angelo Poretti, Crodino, Limonce Limoncello and more, plus the event even featured a pop up cinema from Peroni screening Italian classics.
Born out of Manchester’s Italian community and heritage; drawing huge inspiration from the traditional festivals in Italy and adding a touch of Mancunian flavour, the Festa’s return was hugely anticipated in the press with 38 pieces coverage from titles including Joe.co.uk, iNews, Manchester Evening News, Secret Manchester, BBC Radio Manchester, The Manc, Raring 2 Go and many many more.
It felt like old times to welcome all our favourite journalists and bloggers to a real life food festival, the first large-scale event of its type in the city since the pandemic, and we had a wonderful weekend reconnecting with traders, friends and media alike.
Take a look at the preview video here: