Sicilian festival to parade the streets of Little Italy

Kai Oliver-Kurtin | Downtown News

Little Italy will soon transform into a lively, colorful stream of musicians, food vendors and historical lore, as the 20th annual San Diego Sicilian Festival soon takes over the eclectic neighborhood on Sunday, May 19.

The largest festival of its kind in the country, the free festival attracts more than 50,000 people each year.

Entertainers at last year's event perform under the Little Italy sign. (Courtesy San Diego Sicilian Festival) — Entertainers at last year’s event perform under the Little Italy sign. (Courtesy San Diego Sicilian Festival)

“We’re trying to make everything a little bigger and a little better for our big 20th anniversary,” said Giovanna DiBona, a festival director.

DiBona, along with her husband Tony, have performed at each of the previous festivals as part of the Roman Holiday band.

The festival’s headline performers, The Sicilian Tenors, are coming from New York City, where DiBona says the trio has taken the music scene by storm. The Sicilian-American group will be in attendance thanks to a sponsorship from the Xerox Corporation.

All festival entertainers will be strolling the streets of Little Italy during a procession beginning at noon. Costumed dancers, musicians and local officials will make their way through the festival carrying flags to represent various regions of Italy and Sicily.

“We’re expanding on everything we’ve had in the past,” said DiBona, “the Italian car show will be much bigger—about double the space as last year.”

A Sicilian cultural area will showcase historical memorabilia and photos, including much information related to San Diego’s tuna fishing industry; traditional Italian chalk art; and displays from local organizations including the Maritime Museum of San Diego.

“The festival will be very colorful, and will highlight Sicilian and Italian history and heritage,” said DiBona. “But of course the most popular is all the food!”

DiBona and other festival organizers invite the community to “eat, drink and be Sicilian” for the day.

Performers march along the street between food and craft vendors at last year's event (Courtesy San Diego Sicilian Festival_ — Performers march along the street between food and craft vendors at last year’s event (Courtesy San Diego Sicilian Festival_

Along with all the various food and pastry vendors, neighborhood restaurants will remain open during the event.

Sicilian wine will be available in the beer and wine garden, but attendees can do more than just imbibe. The popular grape stomp will allow them to kick off their shoes and step inside a barrel to see how traditional grape maceration was once achieved.

Another festival favorite, the pasta-eating contest, is open to the public (for a small fee) on a first-come, first-served basis.

A family-friendly event, the festival also includes several interactive children’s activities throughout the day, including arts and crafts, a puppet theater and face painting.

The Sicilian Festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday, May 19. Due to limited parking in the neighborhood, a free shuttle is available from the county administration building. For more information, visit sicilianfesta.com.

Kai Oliver-Kurtin is a local freelance reporter who also works full-time doing social media marketing for the U.S. Navy. She enjoys covering events, restaurant news, culture and entertainment. Contact her at kai.sdnews@gmail.com