SCRANTON — City resident Donna Gerard and her daughter Ashley Abda of Throop don’t just come to La Festa Italiana every year for the food and people. For them, it’s a way to support a long-running community institution.
“I guess it just brings the community together,” Abda said.
Gerard and Abda, along with Abda’s 6-year old daughter Audriana Abda, were among hundreds of people who made their way to Courthouse Square over the course of the four-day festival, which concluded on Monday. Sunny weather and lots of different foods brought throngs of people from near and far to the downtown Italian festival that celebrated its 50th anniversary this year.
Those who came out the final day were mainly drawn to the variety of Italian and festival food offered by various vendors.
Many people, like Dickson City residents Catherine Patrick and Dustin Dutcher, came for the food. Dutcher came to La Festa to see the different types of food and to try different types of pizza.
In addition to the food, mainly pizza from Arcaro and Genell and desserts, Gerard and her family like coming to the festival to listen to the music and watching the people passing by. Audriana Abda said the festival is fun.
They also loved being able to relax in the nice weather and not worry about working.
“We’re just on slow motion today,” Gerard said, “just chillaxing.”
Dutcher and Patrick also like the music and watching children run around and play on the grounds in front of the Lackawanna County Courthouse.
“I get a kick out of watching them,” Patrick said. “It’s a beautiful day for it.”
Good weather, good crowds
Multiple La Festa vendors said they were grateful for the nice weather, which kept them busy. Some vendors reported their best sale days of the year from the festival.
Julian Bufano, owner of Dominic’s of New York in Kingston, said Sunday was his highest sale day at La Festa, with the Italian sausage being their bestselling item.
“We’ve done phenomenal this year,” he said.
Bufano was grateful the rain let up last week in time for the festival.
Revello’s Pizza co-owner Heather Revello loved that the weather wasn’t too hot or too cold during the festival, perfect for eating. She said every day of the festival, people passed by with a food item in their hands and a smile on their face.
“Everybody seems to be really enjoying the festival, and this is definitely one of the best ones yet,” she said. “For the 50th year, I think it’s so neat. It just grows better and better every single year, which I think is a testament to the people that run the, the festival and, um, and all the vendors here.”
Scranton resident Michael Foley, 8, left, and his friend Blaine Coulter, 10, also of Scranton, enjoy Italian ice on the final day of La Festa Italiana in downtown Scranton Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (Christine Lee/Staff Photo)
Members of the Gene Dempsey Orchestra perform on the Alfredo’s Main Stage on the final day of La Festa Italiana Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (Christine Lee/Staff Photo)
Trying their hand at bocce on the final day of La Festa Italiana in downtown Scranton are, from left, brothers Gianni, Nico and Luca Bartorillo of Pittston, and their cousin, Max Szumski, also of Pittston. (Christine Lee/Staff Photo)
People eat food at the Piazza dell’ Arte on Courthouse Square in downtown Scranton on the final day of La Festa Italiana Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (Christine Lee/Staff Photo)
Joey Colarusso, co-owner of Colarusso’s Cafe in Clarks Summit, slices pizza on the final day of La Festa Italiana in downtown Scranton Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (Christine Lee/Staff Photo)
Suzane O’Gorman of Forty Fort takes a photo of her sister, Jamie O’Gorman, also of Forty Fort and Jamie’s significant other, Danny Gulla of West Pittston, in front of the La Festa sign on Courthouse Square in downtown Scranton on the final day of La Festa Italiana Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (Christine Lee/Staff Photo)
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Scranton resident Michael Foley, 8, left, and his friend Blaine Coulter, 10, also of Scranton, enjoy Italian ice on the final day of La Festa Italiana in downtown Scranton Monday, Sept. 7, 2026. (Christine Lee/Staff Photo)
In addition to the people, Revello, whose restaurant is in Old Forge, also likes working with and seeing other vendors. The restaurant shared a tent with fellow Old Forge restaurant Cusumano, which is located in the same block in the borough.
However, her favorite part of the festival is seeing people try their food, which includes Old Forge pizza, or a cannoli donut for the first time.
Homemade gelato proved popular for Jitty Joe’s, which has been a La Festa vendor for four years. Owner Bill Sweeney said this year was an amazing one for them.
“This is our fourth year doing it, and knock on wood, thankfully we’ve never had rain in the four years we’ve been doing it, so it’s been a great four years for us,” he said. “It’s been a great experience.”
Like Revello, Sweeney also enjoys seeing other vendors at the festival.
“It’s great to be with them, and everybody helps each other out,” he said. “We get to talk to each other for days and it’s a lot of fun. It’s a lot of work, but it’s a lot of fun. All these other vendors here are great. We all get along, so it’s a good time.”
Fantastic festival
Longtime La Festa President Chris DiMattio said this year’s festival has been fantastic, drawing in more than 100,000 people. The vendors in particular went all out as La Festa marked its 50th anniversary.
“We basically asked all the vendors to really get involved, have a lot of pride in the festival and try to show their Italian heritage in the way they decorated, in the way they presented their goods and they’ve done a really outstanding job,” he said Monday morning.
DiMattio said the performers love the uniqueness of La Festa’s food vendors, which he said is because they are from Northeast and Central Pennsylvania.
The festival marked its 50th anniversary with a collage of photos and newspaper articles dating back to the first La Festa in 1976. DiMattio loved that people went up to the collage and in some instances, recognized themselves in the photos.
The yearly Mass in Italian also had its largest crowd ever, he said, with people packing St. Peter’s Cathedral Sunday morning. DiMattio said the Mass is emblematic of La Festa, which started with Italian churches coming together.
This year’s festival included more entertainment, including groups from Italy, more signage and more seating options along Courthouse Square. Scranton police also changed the traffic pattern this year around Courthouse Square, which DiMattio said added more walking space and made the festival safer.
“It’s hard to mess with success, but we do our best, and we just try to every year…improve,” he said.
DiMattio loves that the festival draws people not only from Northeast Pennsylvania, but from places like New York, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia, who come for a good time that doesn’t cost anything.
“You don’t have to have a dollar in your pocket to have a great time at La Festa,” he said.