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Photo by Alex Beckman, courtesy of Destination Bryan
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Photo by Alex Beckman, courtesy of Destination Bryan
Downtown Bryan hosted the second annual Festa Italiana this past weekend on Saturday, June 8, which incorporated many free, fun-filled activities for everyone. The event was hosted on a shut-down stretch of Main Street from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m.
Founder and organizer Blake Zeitman, although born in Texas, grew up attending Italian festivals on the East Coast. Because of this, he was inspired to create Festa Italiana — wishing to blend the Sicilian-American community in Bryan and his love for Italy in one.
Paying homage to Italian food and heritage, the celebration welcomed over 4,000 festival goers, with a large percentage of out-of-towners. The variety of vendors, contests, food, live music and more attracted people from Houston and Dallas, and representatives from the Dickinson Little Italy Festival.
“There was a lot going on this weekend,” says Blake. “When we planned the event a year ago, there was no international soccer match or super regionals in town, so we kind of didn't get the turnout we wanted, but we still had a really nice turnout. We were hoping for closer to six or seven, but it was a nice event and I think that there's a lot of room for growth.”
Blake considers himself a perfectionist when it comes to throwing parties and is always looking for ways to grow. With more festival attendants this year, the festival expanded its opportunities for vendors and entertainment, even bringing in a live band to perform. Some of the vendors included Zio’s Party Treats, Brick & Ember Pizza, Pepito’s Italian Ice, The Wild Garlic, Danny V’s Pickles and more.
“We did [a welcome dinner] in association with Messina Hof, and they did a phenomenal job,” Blake says. “The food was excellent, the ambiance was unparalleled. It was probably the best five-course meal that you could have had in B/CS this year.”
Through the event, Festa Italiana was able to raise money for charity. Five hundred dollars was donated to St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in the honor of Johnny S. Lampo — a key helper in the first festival who passed away earlier this year. Some of the proceeds also went toward the Poggioreale in America Scholarship Fund.
While he usually organizes the festival by himself, Blake says he has already put together a board to help him for the next festival in 2025. With a high of 93 degrees on Saturday, Blake says he is considering a new festival date in cooler months to avoid the heat. He also notes that the long hours of the event was an experiment, and will most likely return to a shorter festival similar to the previous year.
“I've got a good group of people that are really interested in helping me do more,” Blake says. “I think that they'll kind of help me with some of the things that I might forget or miss being just one person.”
Sponsors of this event included Aggieland Contracting, Catalena Hatters, Texas Rose Boutique, The Farm Patch Market, Readfield Meats & Deli, Messina Hof Winery, Frittella Italian Cafe, Caffé Capri, Lone Star Provisions and Christopher’s World Grille. For information about future events in Downtown Bryan, visit destinationbryan.com.
