A public starved for the return of traditional annual events and hungry for Italian food combined with picture perfect weather on Saturday to produce robust attendance at Italian-themed festivals in Schenectady and Amsterdam.

The festival on North Jay Street in Schenectady Saturday marked the 17th anniversary of the first Little Italy StreetFest organized by the Little Italy Business Association in 2005, an event that celebrates Italian heritage and serves as a community showcase for businesses like Civitello’s, Perreca’s and Cornell’s. But the event hasn’t been held with all of its normal activities — musical acts, street vendors, games and bounce houses for children and lots and lots of Italian food —since 2019, before the coronavirus pandemic.