“Festa Italiana at the Mount: The Biggest Columbus Day Celebration in Staten Island’s History” will build on the successes of both Rome Through Richmond Town and the Mount’s Italian Feast. The larger space will help accommodate even more people and will allow more vendors and cultural groups to participate.
Kids’ rides and games, live music, and expanded food options will be available on all three days. On Saturday, there will be cultural exhibits and educational displays, as well as a performance by the Giglio Band.
At the press conference, Lois and Richard Nicotra announced that they will once again be sponsoring the headlining entertainment, Louis Prima Jr. and the Witnesses, who will perform on Saturday.
Additional sponsors who have already signed on include Council Member Joe Borelli, Senator Diane Savino, Richmond University Medical Center, Mark Tranchina/Vanderbilt/Grand Oaks/South Fin, Project One, Rampulla Architects, Gerald Peters Gold Mine Jewelers, and Italian American Women of Staten Island.
“This will be the biggest Columbus Day celebration in the history of Staten Island,” noted BP Oddo. “We had 6,000 people attend Rome Through Richmond Town, and Historic Richmond Town was a great partner, but the space there was limited. We’re partnering with Mount Loretto to make this an even bigger festival that can accommodate many more people and activities. We want more music, more culture, more education, more fun, and we intend to deliver on that front. This is a weekend for all of Staten Island to celebrate Italian-American culture and have fun.”
“We are so excited to host the biggest event Staten Island has ever had to celebrate Italian-American culture, Italian-Americans, our food, and everything that goes along with it,” said Ignizio.
Admission will be $5 for adults. Children under 12 will be admitted free. Parking will also be free for the event.
For sponsorship opportunities or more information, visit mountloretto.org