September 4-7, 2026: Our 50th Year!

La Festa Italiana 50th Celebration Set for Labor Day Weekend in Scranton, PA

As the nation celebrates its 250th birthday, we also mark a major milestone: La Festa Italiana is observing the 50th anniversary of its founding! The annual celebration of culture, cuisine and music will be held again over Labor Day weekend, Friday through Monday, September 4-7, 2026. The presenting sponsor is Lehigh Valley Hospital-Dickson City, part of Jefferson Health.

The convergent national and local anniversaries are not just a coincidence. La Festa Italiana was initiated in 1976 when the country was celebrating the Bicentennial. Individuals and groups were offering gifts of community service to commemorate this important milestone. In that spirit, La Festa Italiana was conceived by then-Lackawanna County Commissioner Robert W. Pettinato as a way for the local Italian-American community to offer a gift that would keep on giving – and that is exactly what happened, 50 years on and counting.

The festival has expanded over the years to offer something for everyone to enjoy. Admission is free! Of course, there is the food, a mouth-watering variety tempting the taste buds! Among the manyculinary delights is the famous porketta sandwich prepared by the Scranton Chapter of UNICO, the largest Italian American service organization in the U.S. Another hot spot – literally – is the Cappuccino Café, where you can sip a creamy cup to go with your favorite Italian pastry.

In between bites, people of all ages will enjoy Italian vocalists, artists, national and local bands as well as dance groups performing over four days and nights on three stages.

A Heritage Tent sponsored by the Cali Foundation will feature photos, news articles and other memorabilia highlighting the history of La Festa and profiles of prominent local and nationally known Italian Americans.

A new addition this year will be a Cultural Tent, sponsored by Fidelity Bank, that will host presentations on topics such as food, music and history. Italian-themed clothing and novelties, crafts, bocce games, and the Onvo Kids Zone will also be available.The Alfredo’s Main Stage opening act on Friday (Sept. 4) will be Ray Massa’s Eurorhythms Italian Show Band, and they will also perform on Saturday. Friday night will close with The Untouchables.

The lineup on Saturday (Sept. 5) features The Cameos, New Jersey’s Favorite Oldies Band; a celebration of Perry Como with the Scranton Shakespeare Festival; and a Billy Joel Tribute by Frank Provinzono & Ken McGraw’s Brass & Ivory Band. Also on Saturday there will be a car show and parade, sponsored by Toyota of Scranton, from 1-4 p.m.

Sunday (Sept. 6) begins with the annual Mass in Italian at 10 a.m. in the Cathedral of Saint Peter, located one block from the festival site. The Most Reverend Joseph C. Bambera, D.D., J.C.L., Bishop of Scranton, will preside. Very Reverend David P. Cappelloni, V.F., La Festa Chaplain and pastor of Saint John Paul II Parish in Dunmore, will be the principal celebrant and homilist. Concelebrants will include Monsignor Constantine V. Siconolfi, La Festa Chaplain Emeritus, and priests from the Diocese of Scranton. The Mass will also be televised live by CTV: Catholic Television of the Diocese of Scranton.

The entertainment on Sunday includes La Festa’s premiere Italian vocalist,TJ. Capobianco from The Met, a Connie Francis tribute by Nicole Rasmus and a Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin Tribute Show featuring Chris DiMattio and Las Vegas’ Andy DiMino with a special guest, Gary Frank (aka Tom Jones). The evening finishes with Daddy-O and the Sax Maniax.On Monday (Sept. 7) the Gene Dempsey Orchestra make their traditional appearance, and a cannoli eating contest will be held.. Popstar Drive will be the festival closing act.

La Festa Italiana will literally hit the ground running with the 14th Annual Captain James R. Minicozzi Memorial 5K Run and 1 Mile Fun Walk on Saturday, Sept. 5, at 10 a.m. The race is being sponsored by the Scranton Chapter of UNICO, the national Italian-American service organization, and proceeds will benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Northeastern Pennsylvania Christmas Party and college scholarships for students at Captain Minicozzi’s alma mater, West Scranton High School. To register in advance ($25) go to: runsignup.com/Minicozzi or on race day ($35) from 8 to 9:30 a.m. at corner of North Washington Avenue and Linden Street.

There will be a variety of Italian music with strollers and vocalists throughout the weekend sponsored by the Coccia Foundation. Other Major Sponsors include Lackawanna County and the City of Scranton, Keystone Sanitary Landfill, Dickson City Hyundai, the Lackawanna County Visitors Bureau and Merrill Lynch.

For news and updates, check here and also Facebook: La Festa Italiana di Lackawanna County, Instagram: lafestascranton.

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As the nation celebrates its 250th birthday, one of Northeastern Pennsylvania’s most cherished traditions will also mark a major milestone. La Festa Italiana is observing the 50th anniversary of its founding. The annual celebration of culture, cuisine and music will be held again over Labor Day weekend, Friday through Monday, September 4-7, 2026. The presenting sponsor is Lehigh Valley Hospital-Dickson City, part of Jefferson Health.

The convergent national and local anniversaries are not just a coincidence. La Festa Italiana was initiated in 1976 when the country was celebrating the Bicentennial. Individuals and groups were offering gifts of community service to commemorate this important milestone. In that spirit, La Festa Italiana was conceived by then-Lackawanna County Commissioner Robert W. Pettinato as a way for the local Italian-American community to offer a gift that would keep on giving – and that is exactly what happened, 50 years on and counting. Mr. Pettinato enlisted colleagues, friends and community leaders to help organize the event. Italian parishes, businesses and fraternal organizations were invited to participate.

Courthouse Square in downtown Scranton was chosen as the site because it is the city’s equivalent of a “piazza,” the plaza of a typical town in Italy where people gather to socialize and enjoy all manner of events.

The first festival was held on the Sunday of Columbus Day weekend with about 40 vendors set up along the North Washington Avenue side of the square, and an estimated crowd of 20,000 patronized the event. Eventually the fickle nature of October weather convinced the organizers that La Festa needed a change of season, so in 1981 the event was moved to the Labor Day weekend and has been held at that time ever since. It expanded to three days, and again to its current format of four days, Friday through Monday.

La Festa has become a holiday tradition that satisfies everyone’s appetite for a good time with good friends. Vendors now occupy all four sides of Courthouse Square, offering a wide variety of Italian cuisine. Italian cooking is a vibrant expression of the good life. In fact, the cooking of the Italian peninsula was the first fully developed cuisine in Europe. As patrons circle the square, they are tempted by a multitude of options. In addition to typical “main” courses, many can be seen sipping a cup of cappuccino in tandem with a pastry, or sampling the famous porketta sandwich served by the Scranton Chapter of UNICO National.Another revered highlight of the festival is the annual Catholic Mass celebrated in Italian on Sunday in nearby St. Peter’s Cathedral.

The festival also features a Heritage Display that highlights the many noteworthy Italians who have made contributions to all facets of society. Another popular spot is the La Festa Committee Tent, where patrons can obtain mementos of their visit such as custom-made T-shirts and a variety of novelty items. These sales help to defray festival expenses.

And what would a party be without music? At La Festa there is plenty of it – four days and nights of free, continuous live entertainment with emphasis on Italian-style music along with enough acts to suit a wide variety of tastes. Among the featured performers are accomplished Italian vocalists. The tradition started at the first festival with Al Martino and has continued with well-known names like Bobby Arvon, Nelson Sardelli, June Valli, Moreno Fruzzetti and a host of others. Acts like The Poets, Ferdie Bistocchi Orchestra, Italian Sounds, Hi-Lites, Gene Dempsey Orchestra, The Eurorythms, King Henry and the Showmen, Los Vega, and Exact Change have taken the stage. More recently, featured vocalists including Metropolitan Opera’s T.J. Capobianco and Andrea Amoroso, and performers such as The Cameos, the Frank Sinatra-Dean Martin-Connie Francis-Frankie Valli-Billy Joel tributes, dance troupes, strolling serenaders, jugglers, magicians and local popular bands including Daddy-O and the Sax Maniacs, Picture Perfect and Popstar Drive have kept patrons entertained.

For the past 13 years, La Festa has hit the ground running with the Captain James R. Minicozzi Memorial 5K Run and 1 Mile Fun Walk on Saturday morning. The race is sponsored by the Scranton Chapter of UNICO, and proceeds benefit the Boys and Girls Club of Northeastern Pennsylvania Christmas Party and college scholarships for students at Captain Minicozzi’s alma mater, West Scranton High School. The speed theme continues on Saturday with an Italian-branded car show, sponsored by Toyota of Scranton, just off the Square.

It’s no wonder that people come from throughout Pennsylvania and neighboring states to enjoy La Festa. Some estimate that 100,000 people will saunter around the Square over the four days. And there is no admission charge! Vendors pay a modest fee to secure their space and to partly cover the event’s operating expenses, with surplus funds going to various local charities.Staging a festival of this magnitude is no small task, and it’s accomplished by a relatively small group of dedicated board members and volunteers who work for months to plan the event. They are led by Chris DiMattio, who has been a committee member for 35 years and been serving as President and General Chairman for more than 30 years.

Built upon the vision of its founders 50 years ago and the labors of so many people since, the 2026 La Festa Italiana promises to be another historic event!