All weekend
Foodie pass
Six tastings, priority demo seats, festa tote and coffee voucher across both days.
Programme & shows
About
About The Festa
A celebration of Italian-Australian culture in the heart of Melbourne.
/ Stay connected
Sign up for festa updates
Programme drops, performer reveals and ticket releases — straight to your inbox.
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Festa in your pocket
Browse the programme, save your favourite acts and get a Sunday-morning nudge before the gates open.
Two ways in
Pick your festa: foodie pass or family day.Sunday only
Family day
Kids' zone, gelato cart, face painting and the puppet stage in Argyle Square.
Programme highlights
Three things you can't miss across the weekend.
Saturday · 12pm
Pasta Showdown
Four Carlton nonnas battle for the festa title.
Saturday · 8pm
Opera under the stars
Featuring Sydney soprano Maria Conti.
Sunday · 11am
Vespa parade
Forty restored Vespas roll down Lygon Street.
/ Programme highlights
Programme highlights
Three things you can't miss across the weekend.
Saturday · 12pm
Pasta Showdown
Four Carlton nonnas battle for the festa title.
Saturday · 8pm
Opera under the stars
Featuring Sydney soprano Maria Conti.
Sunday · 11am
Vespa parade
Forty restored Vespas roll down Lygon Street.
Three ways in
Three festa tracks for three audiences.
All weekend
Foodie pass
Six tastings, priority demo seats.
Sunday only
Family day
Kids' zone, gelato cart, face painting.
Saturday night
Headliner show
Opera under the stars with full orchestra.
/ Programme
Programme highlights
Four moments to anchor your weekend.
Innovation news
Latest from the Festa programme
Six new headliners, demos and parade announcements rolling in across the lead-up.
Programme
Pasta Showdown returns
Music
Maria Conti to open Saturday night
Parade
Forty Vespas confirmed for Sunday
Family
Argyle Square kids' programme drops
Innovation news
Borderless carousel on cream.
Pasta Showdown returns
Maria Conti to open Saturday night
Forty Vespas confirmed for Sunday
Argyle Square kids' programme drops
Programme
Saturday programme
Three tracks running across the Lygon Street main piazza.
12pm
Pasta Showdown
Four Carlton nonnas battle for the festa pasta champion title.
Presented by Forno di Carlton
3pm
Cooking demo
Sourdough basics with Lygon Street's best bakers.
Sponsored by Lavazza
8pm
Opera under the stars
Headline soprano with full orchestra.
Sponsored by Brunetti
Programme tracks
Stay in the loop
Four ways to follow the festa lead-up.
Sign up for updates
Programme drops and ticket releases straight to inbox.
Become a partner
Programme sponsorship and trade options.
Download media kits
Photography, logos and press resources.
Twenty-six years
Carlton's Italian street party, every October.
Programme
Saturday
Designed to pair with a second instance in a contrasting tone.
12pm
Pasta Showdown
Four Carlton nonnas battle for the festa title.
Presented by Forno di Carlton
8pm
Opera under the stars
Headline soprano performance with full orchestra.
Sponsored by Lavazza
Tracks
Programme tracks
One of several stacked tone panels — drop multiple instances back-to-back.
Cooking
Live pasta demos, sourdough classes and a wood-fired pizza throwdown.
Presented by Forno di Carlton
Music
Two stages. Opera at sunset, DJs after dark, plus a community choir set.
Sponsored by Lavazza
Family
Argyle Square hosts the kids' programme — puppet shows, gelato carts, crafts.
Presented by Brunetti
Saturday tracks
Vespa parade
Lygon Street · 11am
Pasta showdown
Main piazza · 12pm
Opera at dusk
Main stage · 8pm
Sunday tracks
Family parade
Lygon Street · 11am
Kids' programme
Argyle Square · all day
Closing fireworks
Argyle Square · 6pm
Innovation news
Tinted carousel variant.
Pasta Showdown returns
Maria Conti to open Saturday night
Forty Vespas confirmed for Sunday
Argyle Square kids' programme drops
Five reasons to put it in your diary
Why come to festa
Free entry
Both days, no ticket required.
80+ vendors
Pasta, pizza, gelato, espresso.
Family friendly
Kids' zone, gelato cart, face painting.
Live music
Two stages from noon till late.
Foodie pass perks
What's included with a Festa pass
All Foodie passes give you access to priority queues, reserved demo seats and a curated tasting plate across both days.
- Six tastings
- Reserved demo seats
- Festa tote bag
- Programme booklet
- Priority entry
- Coffee voucher
26 years of Carlton's biggest Italian street party
Festa by the numbers
60k
Visitors
80+
Food vendors
120
Live performances
2
Opera nights
Getting there
Trams 1, 3, 5, 6, 16, 64, 67, 72 stop on Lygon Street.
Accessibility
Step-free routes, accessible toilets and quiet hours from 11am Sunday.
Family
Pram-friendly, kids' programme runs continuously in Argyle Square.
Schedule a Braindate
Pick a topic
Choose from twelve curated festival topics — from regional food to street performance — and book a fifteen-minute one-on-one with a programmer.
Bring your question
Festa programmers reserve weekday morning slots in the green room. Walk-ups welcome but pre-booked sessions are guaranteed.
Voices
What festa-goers say
Quotes from the 2025 crowd.
Get in touch
Questions about stalls, sponsorship or accessibility? Drop us a line.
/ 05 — Events
Festa programme
Browse all events by audience or event type to plan your weekend.
MusicTickets on sale
Sat, 17 Oct 2026 · 8:00 pm – 9:30 pm
Programme
Opera under the stars
Featuring soprano Maria Conti
Headline soprano performance under the Carlton sky, with a 14-piece Lygon Street ensemble.
From $35.00
Cap. 850
CookingFree
Sat, 17 Oct 2026 · 12:00 pm – 1:30 pm
Programme
Pasta Showdown
Carlton's nonnas go head-to-head
A live four-way pasta cook-off in the main piazza.
Free
Cap. 200
ScreeningFree
Sun, 18 Oct 2026 · 7:30 pm – 10:30 pm
Programme
Cinema Italiano — outdoor screening
La Dolce Vita under the stars
Free outdoor screening of Fellini's 1960 classic.
Free
Cap. 400
ParadeFree
Sun, 18 Oct 2026 · 11:00 am – 11:45 am
Programme
Vespa parade
Down Lygon Street
Forty restored Vespas roll down Lygon in formation.
Free
Social Event
7:00 am – 9:00 am
Language Assistants
Thirty Years Celebration
Language Assistance Program
/ 05 — Events
Festa programme — list view
Dense list with sticky date headers (SXSW pattern).
Date TBA
7:00 amEast Melbourne
Thirty Years Celebration
Social Event
17 OCT 2026 @ 8:00 pm
17 OCT 20268:00 pmArgyle Square Piazza, Carlton
Opera under the stars
Maria Conti
Music
17 OCT 202612:00 pmMain stage, Carlton
Pasta Showdown
Cooking
18 OCT 2026 @ 7:30 pm
18 OCT 20267:30 pmArgyle Square, Carlton
Cinema Italiano — outdoor screening
Federico Fellini
Screening
18 OCT 202611:00 amLygon Street, Carlton
Vespa parade
Parade
Buy your Festa tickets
Outlined-cards tier layout — four tiers including Early Bird.
Opera under the stars
Featuring soprano Maria Conti
- Sat, 17 Oct 2026
- Argyle Square Piazza
- Capacity 850
Headline soprano performance under the Carlton sky, with a 14-piece Lygon Street ensemble.
Early Bird
Limited release — first 200 only
$35.00
Sold out
1
Most popular
General
Standard admission, all seating zones
$50.00
1
Premium
Reserved seating in the front three rows
$80.00
1
Platinum
Front row + meet & greet + Lavazza espresso bar
$120.00
1
/ 13 — FAQs
Frequently asked questions
Everything you need to know about festa weekend.
/ 00 — Sponsors & partners
Festa sponsors
Partners powering Carlton's biggest Italian street party.
No sponsors to display.
/ 00 — Vendors
Festa vendor directory
Browse all vendors by name. Compact list (no images).
No vendors to display.