Two years in the making, local nonprofit DFW Italians proudly presents the inaugural DFW Italian Festival to celebrate the rich heritage and culture of Italy. The one-day festival will be filled with Italian food, wine tastings, stage performances by local and national artists, arts and crafts for kids, gondola rides and more.
Rain or shine, the festival will be held at the southeast corner of Las Colinas Blvd. and N. O’Connor Blvd. at 5220 N. O’Connor Blvd. Irving, TX 75039 on Saturday, October 7, 2023, from 12 pm to 10 pm. General admission tickets start at $5 and kids 10 years old and under are free. These tickets can be purchased on their website (recommended) or in person. Parking is available in the surrounding areas. Visit the website at www.dfwitalianfestival.com for a map and more information.
Heading the festival is David Lamberti, restaurateur of Lamberti’s Ristorante and Monaco and also, president of DFW Italians, who shared the love of all things Italy with Scott Pirnie Vice-President and Dr. Anthony Nussmeir, Director of Culture and Heritage, and they wanted to create a festival to celebrate its culture and heritage the way they know best and that’s through food and vino.
“This has been two years in the making, and we’re excited to welcome everyone to the inaugural festival. We created a festival to bring other Italian clubs together and to celebrate our rich heritage and culture with great food, wines, music and more!” said David Lamberti, President of the DFW Italians and Owners of Lamberti’s Ristorante and Monaco.
The festival is cashless and food will range from $8 to $12. Some food items on the menus by local food vendors include NY-style pizza, lasagna, pasta, Parmigiano fries, arancini, meatball sandwiches, sausage and pepper sandwiches, Spiedini (roasted skewers), beef braciole (Braised beef), roasted nuts, Italian candies, cannoli, tiramisu, frozen cheesecake and gelato by Paciugo. Adult drinks on the menus include wines, sparkling by Banfi, Frozen Bellinis, Campari Negroni and Aperol Spritz.
There will be performances and presentations on the main and cultural stages, including lead acts Amanda Pascali, a Houston-based singer-songwriter who does a lot of work in Italian, including, most recently, performances of Sicilian folk music and Sicilian folk music translated into English; Giulia Milanta, an Austin-based Italian singer-songwriter, and other performances by Mike Borelli and University of Dallas Chorale. On the cultural stage: an Olive Oil Presentation by Luigi Mungioli, Italian Fairy Tale Reading by Raffaele Ranieri, and small play acts like “Commedia Dell’arte” presented by the University of Dallas Drama Department and “Dallas in Prizzi” produced by Dr. Dave Atkinson and directed by Luca Vullo.
About DFW Italians
Founded by David Lamberti, Scott Pirnie, and Dr. Anthony Nussmeir, DFW Italians is a non-profit organization dedicated to connecting Italian clubs throughout the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. Their mission is to promote, celebrate, and preserve the rich heritage and culture of Italy. After two years of planning, they proudly present the inaugural DFW Italian Festival on Saturday, October 7, 2023.
Funds raised from the organization go towards the production of the following year’s DFW Italian Festival, the Special Olympics, University of Dallas, and the North Texas Food Bank.
David Lamberti is a restaurateur who owns Lamberti’s Ristorante and Monaco in Irving. Dr. Nussmeir is the Associate Professor of Italian and Director of Italian Language for the University of Dallas.
