Experience Italy in the heart of The Biggest Little City
Reno, Nev. – THE ROW welcomes the Great Italian Festival back to the streets of downtown Reno Oct. 12-13, 2024. For the 42nd year, guests can experience Italy's rich culture and cuisine right in the heart of The Biggest Little City.
The fun-filled weekend will feature homemade Italian food, a wine walk, non-stop live entertainment, artisan shopping, cooking competitions, a grape stomping competition and other fun activities for the entire family to enjoy. The free event will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 12, and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, Oct. 13.
"The Great Italian Festival is a Carano family tradition. It started four decades ago with my father, Don Carano, and his desire to bring the authentic, rich cuisine of our heritage in Italy to our hometown here in Reno," said Gregg Carano. "We couldn't be happier that after all these years, the community has rallied around this weekend of food, fun and family."
"During the Great Italian Festival, everyone's a part of our family, and everyone's Italian!"
Gregg Carano
Great Italian Festival Sauce Cook-off
The Great Italian Festival Sauce Cook-off continues to be a crowd favorite every year. Italian families from all over prepare and serve their sacred family recipes for guests to taste. More than 20 families will compete in the cook-off on both Saturday and Sunday, and each sauce will be judged by an esteemed panel of judges.
Mangia!
No Italian festival would be complete without an array of authentic Italian cuisine. Spectators are invited to "mangia!" – or "eat up!," as the Italians say – with a variety of favorites like the chicken parmigiana sandwich, artichokes, Italian sausage, lasagna, Geno's famed flatbread, tortellini Eldorado, gnocchetti pesto, the famous mushroom ravioli with porcini cream sauce and many other delicious bites.
Cuisine can be paired with refreshing beverages such as bellinis, limoncello, espresso martinis, strawberry basil margaritas, vodka berry lemonade, seltzer, ice-cold beer and other non-alcoholic options.
For more information, visit the Great Italian Festival.