Bradford’s annual Festa Italiana is returning from a two-year hiatus. The festivities will include Italian food, live entertainment and fireworks. Mary Ann Colestro is the president of Festa Italiana. She said the event originated from smaller Saint Rocco’s Day celebrations in Bradford’s tight-knit Italian community.

The LaStella Lodge and Auxiliary started Festa Italiana in 1979, and the event has since grown to attract thousands of attendees each year. She said the festival is a great way to continue Italian traditions. “All of our families, most of the people on the committee that help out, goes back generations and generations and generations” Colestro said.