Downtown Reno 41st Annual Great Italian Festival

Everyone’s Italian when THE ROW brings the Great Italian Festival back to downtown Reno this October.

Celebrating its 41st year, the Great Italian Festival in Reno returns in 2023. Experience the flavors, sounds and style of Italy right in the heart of The Biggest Little City during the Great Italian Festival from Oct. 7- 8. Experience a festival unlike any other, as guests celebrate the Italian culture, traditions, and of course, cuisine. The fun-filled weekend will feature homemade Italian food, live entertainment, artisan shopping, family-friendly competitions and more.

“The Great Italian Festival is a Carano family tradition! It started almost four decades ago with my father, Don Carano”

Gregg Carano

FREE EVENT

The free event will be open from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 7 and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 8

“The Great Italian Festival is a Carano family tradition! It started over four decades ago with my father, Don Carano and his desire to bring the authentic, rich cuisine of our heritage in Italy to our hometown here in Reno,” said Gregg Carano, Senior Vice President of Food and Beverage. “We couldn’t be happier that all these years later, the community has rallied around this weekend of food, fun and family. During the Great Italian Festival, everyone’s a part of our family, and everyone’s Italian!”

A crowd favorite year after year continues to be the Great Italian Festival Sauce Cook-off. Italian families from across the globe bring their recipes to life right on the street for guests to taste.

Italian Food

No Italian festival would be complete without an array of homemade Italian food. Spectators are invited to “mangia!” – or “eat up!” as the Italians say – with a variety of favorites like Chicken Parmigiana, lasagna, fried calamari, meat ravioli with Bolognese, Tortellini Eldorado, Gnocchetti Pesto, Italian sausage and pepper sandwiches, the ever-famous Mushroom Ravioli with Porcini Cream Sauce and more.

Cuisine can be paired with refreshing beverages such as Bellinis, specialty cocktails, strawberry-basil margaritas, blood orange rosemary cocktails, vodka-raspberry lemonade, blackberry mojitos and a selection of ice-cold beers.

For more information and schedule of events during the Italian Festival, visit https://www.caesars.com/the-row-reno/events/great-italian-festival.