SOUTHINGTON — Each year at the end of July, the colors red, white, and green fill downtown Southington in celebration of the town’s Italian-American Festival. 

Southington’s 18th annual Italian-American Festival will be held from Friday, July 28 to Sunday, July 30 on lower Center Street. Organized by the Sons of Italy, UNICO Club of Southington, and Sorelle d’Italia in America, this year’s festival will feature musical entertainment, fireworks, an Italian Mass, a children’s carnival, and many food options. 

The organizers have also added an Italian marketplace for the first time, creating a place for guests to purchase Italian wares from local vendors. Between 10 and 12 vendors will be present at the marketplace, including Ariston Specialties, Arminda’s Jewels, Baked Expression, and Lions Den.

“I love that we’re able to provide as authentic Italian heritage and events as possible,” UNICO President Dawn Miceli said of the festival. “It’s always been about sharing the culture and heritage of Italy. There’s such a large Italian population in Southington, so this is such a huge way to do that.”

The weekend-long festival includes a street procession and traditional Italian dances performed by members of Sorelle d’Italia, a women's group which joined the festival five years ago and made the dance performance an annual tradition. This year, the dancers, including several mother-daughter pairs, will perform the “Tarantella,” “Citta di Pulcinella,” and “Saltarello Abruzzese.” 

“We want to incorporate everyone,” Sorelle d’Italia President Clementina Mennone said. “Tradition incorporates the young and the old, the experienced and those just beginning.” 

For the past two years, the festival took place in a smaller capacity due to the pandemic. This year, however, the festival will be back on lower Center Street after being held in a lot next to the Sons of Italy building due to COVID-19 concerns. 

“We are rocking and rolling in terms of offerings and undertakings here,” Miceli said. “We’ve had more new sponsors this year than in previous years. People want to go back to how things were and have community events like this.”

On Friday, July 28 at 9 p.m. during the festival, there will be a fireworks display. Miceli underscored how important the fireworks are to Italian culture.

“For Italian festas, there are always fireworks,” Miceli said. “We’ve had them a couple times at the festival in the past and we’re thinking that from now onwards, we’ll probably have them every year so that it’s just like an authentic Italian festa.”

For many people in Southington, the festival brings together families across generations.

“It’s very important to me,” Sons of Italy board member Carmine Mennone said. “I want to make sure this keeps going for a long time. We try to get kids involved so they can learn about our traditions. We’re trying to keep it going as long as we can.”

Carmine Mennone, who is Clementina Mennone’s husband, added that his children and grandchildren always come to the festival each year and love attending. To engage younger members of the community, the festival offers carnival games, bounce houses, and face painting, in addition to all the food and entertainment available.

Sixteen-year-old singer-songwriter Sofia Nunzia has been coming to the festival for most of her life even before moving to Southington to join her grandparents, who have lived here for many years. Last year, Nunzia performed at the festival for the first time.

“It was the most welcomed I’ve ever felt performing anywhere before,” Nunzia said. “This year, I wanted to incorporate Italian into my performance, so I learned some songs in Italian to bring my piece of music into the festival and tie it to the Italian language.”

Nunzia’s grandmother dances the Tarantella at the festival each year, and Nunzia said one of her favorite parts of the festival is watching her grandmother perform.

“I’m also excited to see my whole community brought together,” Nunzia said. “It’s one of the most bonding experiences for Southington and for Italian culture. We all share the same culture, and it’s amazing to be able to celebrate it in this way.”

The festival’s food also serves as a highlight of the weekend for many people. Each of the three host organizations will have a booth with food, in addition to several establishments in the community. Attendees will be able to purchase food at each booth, with no repeats among the offerings so the festival can serve as many authentic Italian dishes as possible.

“It’s one of our most important events because it celebrates the heritage of many of our citizens. It’s just a great time,” Town Council member and former UNICO president Victoria Triano said. “It’s something everyone can participate in. In fact, it’s a fun way to learn about the culture if you’re not Italian.”

The three host organizations began planning for the festival in January and have spent months obtaining sponsors and connecting with vendors.

“There’s a lot to be organized, from music and entertainment to prizes for the kids, to the Mass we’ll have that Sunday,” Carmine Mennone said. “There’s a lot that goes into it, but it’s very rewarding.”

For Clementina Mennone, the festival provides a space to connect with her roots and share her heritage with younger generations of her family. 

“We wanted to bring our tradition alive,” Clementina Mennone said. “I was born in Italy, and I don’t want to lose where I came from. My kids were born here, and I want them to be aware of what we left behind and what our ancestors did.”

For more information about Southington’s Italian-American Festival, visit https://www.facebook.com/SouthingtonItalianFestival/.