Darwin Italian Festival Secretary William Finocchiaro says there will be plenty of mouth-watering cuisine, homewares, a jam-packed entertainment line up as well as spaghetti eating and pizza throwing competitions at the festival this Saturday

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Now a real change of pace because it's the dry season.
There is so much set to get underway this weekend.
In fact, it's hard to know what you're going to
be able to get to this weekend with all the
wonderful events set to take place. But one of the
incredible events that's going to take place is the Italian Festival.
It's set to take over Darwin's waterfront Fort Hill Parklands

(00:23):
this Saturday, celebrating Italian food, culture and the community. It
promises to deliver mouth watering cuisine and a packed program
of entertainment and activities for the whole family. Now joining
me on the line is the Darwin Italian Festival Secretary
William Finocchiarro. Good morning to you, Will.

Speaker 2 (00:44):
How are you? Yeah?

Speaker 1 (00:45):
Great? Great to have you on the show now, Will,
we're getting very close to the Italian Festival on the weekend.
What is in store? First off? When it comes to food.

Speaker 2 (00:56):
Well, food wise, I mean I'll start off by saying
where the committee's been in the candle at both ends
At the moment, I've been trying to get get the
last bits and pieces together. But yeah, food wise, I
guess the usual suspects there, the pizza pasta lasagna. We've
got Italian sausages from the Italian Club. Should be a good,

(01:16):
good little meal there. But plenty of food offerings from
a ton of different food vendors across Darwin. So pretty
excited our bars getting I mean at the moment Peter
and I are unloading a pilot of parading into a
shed at the moment getting ready.

Speaker 1 (01:35):
So multitasking, mate, multitasking, It's best.

Speaker 2 (01:41):
That's it. I guess another another thing I wanted to
touch on because I haven't got a chance to plug
it at all yet this year is the Darwin Mercado.
We've got a it's new to this festa. It's it's
a stall offering an awesome range of imported Italian woods
like biscuits and confection areas and olive oils and as

(02:04):
well as home Whar's ceramic successories and a lot of
other things. In any case, but yeah, it'll be you
know you can purchase a bit of Italy down at
the Italian Festival.

Speaker 1 (02:16):
Well, that's wonderful to hear. I think it'll be. It
sounds like there's going to be something for everybody, and
I know that there's going to be quite a bit
of sort of fun planned, I e. Is there a
spaghetti eating competition and pizza throwing?

Speaker 2 (02:31):
Yeah, definitely, that's usually a bit of a crowd favorite
for the srs. The entertainment goes, so, yeah, the pizza
throwing and spaghetti eating competitions back, and there's a kids
camp and an adult camp, and I think there's cash
prizes as well, so yeah, everyone should get in.

Speaker 1 (02:52):
Yeah, that sounds awesome. Now what can we expect when
it comes to entertainment. I know there are a number
of interstate acts. I'm assuming there might be some local
ones as well.

Speaker 2 (03:02):
Yes, so interstate. Actually, I mean the majority of the
entertainment is inter state talent, so we've got I guess
for example, the accordion Man, he walks around the festival
playing his beautiful accordion music. Lisa Dawson. I think he's
just had a surname change, so I have to apologize
for Leafsa not having the updates. Lorenzo the Siesta Cartel.

(03:24):
They're a big bands that put on really good sets
of live band music. Rebecca Guilenello. If I'm getting that
last name correct there, She's performed in Italy and New York.
It looks like she's a soprano singer, so excited about her.
And of course Joe Doltcher, who's Australia's own shut Up

(03:48):
Your Face hit one hit there.

Speaker 1 (03:53):
Well, that sounds like it'll be a lot of fun.
Now what time is everything kicking off this year?

Speaker 2 (03:58):
Ten am too late? All right? So a couple of
hours earlier this year?

Speaker 1 (04:02):
Awesome? And are there any changes or any new additions
or anything that we should be aware of for this
time round?

Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, we've got the monuments are back, so the I mean,
the Rialto Bridge was around last time, but we've got
the Chevy Fountain and the Leaning Tower of Pisa back
and they're built by the Darwin Attaian community. On you
He's coming back and putting those up for us this year.
So we're pretty excited to get the monuments back on

(04:33):
on festifl Grounds.

Speaker 1 (04:34):
Wonderful stuff or will it sounds like it's going to
be an awesome, an awesome day, so much to see
and do and plenty of food to eat and lots
to drink as well. A fantastic day for everybody. So
you can just rock up. You can purchase your ticket
to get in there. Once you arrive, can't you.

Speaker 2 (04:54):
Well, no ticket, non ticketed event, even better.

Speaker 1 (04:59):
Mate, even better for the whole community to get on
down there and enjoy what is all. You know, all
that is wonderful about the Italian community, and you know,
to get in there and eat as much as you can.

Speaker 2 (05:11):
Really exactly see.

Speaker 1 (05:14):
It's a way I like to do things well with
an Italian honor and and well my mother in law
being Italian, I can Italian now she will expect me
to eat as much as I can.

Speaker 2 (05:27):
Yeah, that's it. I think my non nor himself he
judged character based on how much people are.

Speaker 1 (05:36):
Very true. I think that sounds like every Italian family will.
I love it, mate. Good to catch up with you
this morning, all the beasts for the weekend, and keep
that multitasking going. I'll let you get back to your
other job.

Speaker 2 (05:48):
Thanksatie, good on you, Thank you,