Southington's Italian American Festival Draws 10k People

By Brian M. Johnson, The Bristol Press

August 3, 2022

The 17th Italian American Festival drew 10,000 people to lower Center Street over this past weekend according to event organizers, who said crowds were wowed by fireworks and the Italian Mass and procession.

The fireworks were held on Friday night, the first day of the festival, shooting off from the nearby dog park and lighting up the sky. The Italian Mass and procession were held Sunday. Throughout the festival, visitors were able to stop at booths from Center Street restaurants and local nonprofits to enjoy their favorite Italian foods. Entertainment, including Italian singing and dancing, took place on a stage nearby a shaded seating area.

The Italian-American Festival is sponsored each year by the town’s Italian civic organizations – Southington Unico, The Sons of Italy and Sorelle D’Italia in America.

Tony Cusano, president of the Sons of Italy, said he thought that it “went very well.”

“The festival was very well received and the weather held up,” he said. “It was an excellent turnout, especially for the Mass and Procession. The fireworks were a big hit. It was a great event all around.”

Cusano said that people loved the variety of entertainment.

“We mix it up each year and bring back the one that are really popular,” he said.

Dawn Miceli, who was in charge of fundraising for the event, said the entertainment was “non-stop” and included “uplifting music” for visitors to enjoy.

Miceli said the local restaurants and nonprofits serving food all did well with festival-goers.

“From what I heard, just about everybody sold out each night,” she said. “The best part is that they money spent at the nonprofit booths will all go back into the community.”

Miceli added that many residents posted about the fireworks on social media. Another highlight on Sunday afternoon for local families was a petting zoo with Alpacas.

“The 17th year of the Italian-American Festival was a great success; we were packed like crazy all weekend,” she said.

Cusano thanked all of the vendors, nonprofits and sponsors who helped make the Italian-American Festival successful.