The Columbus Italian Festival returns to the steps of Saint John the Baptist Church and throughout Italian Village from October 9 through October 11, bringing back a lineup that includes Carfagna's Market & Ristorante and a high school drumline that just won a title in Indianapolis. Organizers say the three-day celebration regularly draws more than 35,000 people to the neighborhood each year.
Among this year's performers is the Linden McKinley High School Drumline, known as Thee Legion of Boom, which gave a preview of its performance ahead of the festival, according to myfox28columbus.com. The group is fresh off a win at the Circle City Classic in Indianapolis, per the same report. High school marching bands have long shaped the sound of central Ohio, and this year's festival continues that tradition with a band competition built into the weekend's programming.
Sal and Carmen Carfagna, representing Carfagna's Market & Ristorante, showed off one of the restaurant's signature recipes as part of the festival preview. Carfagna's has been a fixture at the festival since its founding in 1980, according to Spectrum News 1. The market's general manager, Salvatore Carfagna, has said the business even created a specific sausage blend for festivalgoers, mixing sweet and hot ingredients for the occasion, the outlet reports.
A Weekend Built Around Food, Faith and Family History
The festival traces its roots to 1980, when founder Father Casto Marrapese and a group of organizers and volunteers put on the very first event, according to the Columbus Italian Festival's own account. Saturday, October 10, programming runs from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m., the festival's website states. On Sunday, a Catholic Mass will be celebrated under the Main Tent on the Carfagna's Traditional Stage at 10:15 a.m., continuing the faith-centered roots that shaped the event from its start.
ABC6, FOX28 and CW Columbus have signed on as new signature media sponsors for this year's festival, myfox28columbus.com reports. The expanded media partnership comes as the festival leans further into its parade tradition, which has become one of the weekend's biggest draws.
Parade Route Winds From Goodale Park Into the Festival Grounds
Festival materials describe a parade hosted by the Columbus Piave Club that steps off at 1 p.m. from Goodale Park, traveling down High Street to Warren Street before entering the festival grounds. The festival's parade page separately identifies this as the 17th Annual Italian Festival Parade and says the route passes through Victorian Village, Short North and Italian Village before ending at the festival itself. Columbus Blue Jackets defenseman Dante Fabbro is listed as this year's grand marshal, with ABC 6 and FOX 28's Jessica Ralston serving as master of ceremonies, per the parade page.
The Italian Festival Parade and High School Marching Band Competition, presented by Black Dog Pizzeria, are scheduled for Sunday, October 11, at 1 p.m.
Whichever day hosts the procession, the festival's blend of food, faith and music has kept it a fixture in Italian Village for nearly half a century. With Carfagna's signature sausage on the grill and Thee Legion of Boom bringing its championship sound to the streets, this year's event continues a tradition that began with Father Marrapese and a handful of volunteers back in 1980.
