Downtown Bryan celebrates Italian heritage with 3rd annual ‘Festa Italiana’ block party

BRYAN, Texas (KBTX) – Downtown Bryan is celebrating Italian culture this weekend.

The annual Festa Italiana is back, and there’s a lot in store for this year’s festivities.

Get ready for live music, games, vendors, and some delicious Italian cuisine.

Festa Italiana is back for a third year in Downtown Bryan.(kbtx)

Everyone is encouraged to visit and celebrate Italian heritage.

Vendors will be lined up along North Main Street in downtown Bryan.

They’ll have everything from pasta, pizza, wine, Italian beer, sausage and peppers, desserts, and so much more.

To add to the fun, there will be bounce houses, face painting, and a balloon artist for the kids.

Festa Italiana is a family-friendly event featuring several activities specifically designed for kids.(kbtx)

Blake Zeitman, founder of Festa Italiana and a local business owner, told KBTX there’s going to be something new this year.

“We also have new this year, a meatball relay race. So, grab a friend, grab your best, you know, steady hand, and run for the run for the cash,” he said.

There will be a lot of different things to do, but one thing that always gets people’s attention is some healthy competition with cash prizes.

Get ready for a kid and an adult pasta-eating contest, with a cash prize of $100 and $50 for the kids’ contest.

Celebrate Italian Culture in Downtown Bryan with Festa Italiana, featuring food, vendors, live music, contests and family-friendly activities.

Of course, the event isn’t just a time to eat yummy food. It’s a time to celebrate Italian culture.

“Building a future for future generations, and you can see it. It’s vibrant here. It’s amazing here in the Brazos Valley. We have such a wonderful area that’s got lots of jobs and lots of places to live, and a lot of that is because of the Sicilian immigrants that came here,” explained Zeitman.

Festa Italiana is Saturday from 4 to 10 p.m. in downtown Bryan.

To keep everyone safe, roads will be blocked off from noon until midnight. You’ll see closures on Main Street from 24th to William J. Bryan, and 24th Street from Tabor to Bryan Avenue.

Free street parking is available outside street closure areas, or you can park in the Roy Kelly Parking Garage down the road along East 29th Street in Bryan.