I have served on the board of the Festa for all 18 years of its existence. I was born in Naples, Italy and have lived in the U.S. for 45 years. I want to share and promote the Italian heritage. I work hard to that end by involved all through the year in various capacities. I currently handle the entertainment and help with obtaining Italian restaurants for the event. I am proud to be asscociated with this marvelous event.
The Portland Italian Festa is an important part of the city's cultural life as it helps to preserve Italian culture. Hundreds of volunteers work to put together an important summer event for the city. There is no charge for admission to the event and it provides great entertainment for thousands of citizens and its visitors.
I love Italian Food and Entertainment. Portland is a great city to visit outdoor events such as the Festa Italiana. Fun to meet up with people and spend the evening enjoying a little wine and people watching. Free to get into and the prices for food and wine are reasonable. Viva la Festa
I have been with Festa Italiana Association, Inc since it's inception in 1992. I have served as boad member, publicity director,parlamentarian,and cureently coordinate the production of the Festa Brochure. The involvment is certainly rewarding as we strive to share the beauty of the Italian culturte with the local community.
Festa is a chance for a lot of people, Italians and "wanna bes" like me, to mingle and mangiano in downtown Portland. What I like about the annual Festa is the fun, and the scope ... everything from a Mass to kick the event off well and respectfully, to Opera students performing in the square (Pioneer Square, or Piazza Pioneer for the weekend) to food, fun and the pleasure of sharing Italian culture with anyone who happens by. The committee is very responsive to feedback; in 2010 it's restructuring the entire restaurant deal in response to concerns that Festa had lost a step on food quality. It's now adding a Green committee to improve that aspect of the public event .. something all groups NEED to do. I'm pleased to be on the host committee this year and look forward to seeing what will happen when we adopt "festa verde" (Green Festa) ideals ... how many plastic cups can we NOT add to the landfill! And still serve a bout 30,000 folks over several days of summer fun. Ciao and Grazie
Festa Italiana Association is a hard-working, enthusiastic group that puts on an extremely popular event taking place in Portland's "piazza", Pioneer Square, every August. Tens of thousands of people eat, drink, dance and enjoy camaraderie under sunny skies and starry nights. I really enjoy some of the "auxiliary" events like film night and the bocce tournament that lead up to the main event. Sometimes I wish Festa were more Italian and less Italian-American, especially when it comes to the entertainment and food.
The Festa is held in the Portland city square downtown and draws locals and visitors estimated at about 30-40 thousand over a 3-day period. Entertainment covers all ages from a puppet show to an Italian dance band. It is a fun event with never an altercation or fight. The mood is festive but family friendly. There is no charge for admission.
This is a great time to meet new people and then see them again year after year. Many are now considered friends. Its a quaint, fun event that the whole family can attend.
Festa Italiana Portland is one big Italian Party! You do not have to be Italian to have fun at this event just have an interest in good Italian food, wine and non stop Italian entertainment. Something for the entire family. Each year I run into old friends, relatives and meet several new people. Portland is such a beautiful city and August in the Square is hard to beat. A great day for all. And it is Free.
My involvement with Festa Italiana is an immensely rewarding experience. As a non-Italian who loves Italian culture, participation in this organization is teaching me a lot about Italy plus has helped me to meet many of her sons and daughters who live in Portland and beyond, as well as develop my own leadership skills. When I first started with Festa back in 2005, I was welcome with open arms. I am very proud to serve on the board of an organization whose mission involves putting on a cultural celebration every year, to make the culture more accessible to the greater community, through personal engagement and education.