With food, music, dancing, bocce and even a little history and culture, Syracuse’s Festa Italiana has something for everyone. Celebrating its 27th edition in 2025, the three-day festival, which opens on Friday at 11 a.m. in front of City Hall, salutes all things Italian.

The family-friendly event will feature live Italian entertainment, music and dancing, beer and wine, live raffles and street performers. The festival gets started on Friday with a charity meatball challenge where the contestant who eats the most meatballs gets $500 donated to their favorite local charity. It starts at 12:30 p.m. in front of the Fayette Street Stage.