Italian Festa is Melbourne's largest celebration of Italian-Australian culture. Born from a single weekend in Lygon Street, the festival has grown into a two-day, multi-venue event that draws tens of thousands of visitors each year — from third-generation Italian families to first-time festa-goers.

Presented by COASIT (the Italian Assistance Association), the Festa is more than a party. It's a chance to share the food, music, language and traditions that Italian migrants brought to Australia — and to celebrate how those traditions have grown and changed in their new home.

Celebrating Italian Heritage — COASIT is proud to celebrate and preserve Italian culture through a variety of programs, events, and initiatives that bring the community together and share the richness of Italian heritage with all Australians. The Festa is the public face of that mission: one weekend each year when the entire piazza becomes a stage for that heritage.

[TODO: editor fill] Add the festival's founding-year origin story, key milestones (venue moves, attendance milestones), and the people behind the curtain.