2024 Italian Fest canceled, other Mahoning Valley Italian festivals remain on the schedule
The Italian Heritage Foundation of Youngstown has announced the cancellation of the 2024 Italian Fest that was set for Public Square on Aug. 2-4. This announcement came in the wake of the fatal blast at the Realty Building in late May that has devastated the downtown area, and has required several buildings around the square to be evacuated or closed because of safety concerns.
Italian fest organizers promise to hold a festival in the summer of 2025, according to the website.
Despite the cancellation, the other Italian festivals planned for the Mahoning Valley are still on:
- The Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church in Niles will hold its 91 st annual Italian festival on July 18-21 on the parish grounds off Robbins Avenue in Niles. Featured will be the famous Italian food favorites like homemade red, potato and spinach pizzas, sausage, meatball, chicken parm and steak hogies and fried bologna sandwiches, smelts and calamari and Italian bakery specialties and the famous cheese puffs and twists. The Niles festival will include nightly entertainment, as well as rides, games, bingo and bocce. The grand prize drawing will be held the Sunday night of the feast, with top prize being $10,000.
- The Basillica of Our Lady of Mount Carmel festival is set for July 25-28 on the grounds of the Catholic parish off Watt Street just north of the downtown Youngstown area. The festival will feature vendors with Italian food from cavatellis to sausage sandwiches and Italian-spiced greens. Other food will include fried bologna, burgers, wings, ribs and chicken. For dessert, there will be vendors selling kettle corn, cookies, ice cream and the favorite Italian pastries. Also featured will be craft and retail vendors, games and non-stop entertainment. Raffle tickets are also on sale for the grand prize of $5,000 and nightly drawings for $1,0000. Winner need not be present. For more information on how to purchase tickets, call 330-743-4144.
- The 39th annual Warren Italian-American Heritage festival will be held on August 8-11 in Courthouse Square in downtown Warren. This event has grown to be one of the finest celebrations of Italian culture and heritage in the tri-state area. For more information about this event, log onto https://www.warrenitalianfestival.com/
- The annual Brier Hill Italian Fest will be held August 15-18 on Calvin and Victoria streets in the Brier Hill neighborhood on Youngstown’s North Side. There will be live Italian music, and authentic Italian food including the unique famous pizza that was created by the women in the neighborhood more than a century ago. The festival location will be near the St. Anthony Catholic Parish on Turin Avenue that will be celebrating the Assumption feast that weekend.
The Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Lowellville will be observed July 17-20. The festival is located on the grounds surrounding the village’s Mount Carmel Society located in the 100 block of Washington Street. The event is an annual celebration that brings the community together in the middle of summer to mark Italian heritage and culture. Admission is free. This year marks the festival’s 129th anniversary. The highlights include nightly music, Italian food and other vendors and the nightly 10 p.m. Baby Doll Dance, which includes a female figure wearing a babushka that shoots fireworks out of its arms.
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