SCRANTON, LACKAWANNA COUNTY (WBRE/WYOU)— We are now less than twenty four hours away from the start of La Festa Italiana.
28/22's Joe Mason is in downtown Scranton with more on what goes into getting ready for the big weekend.
La Festa Italiana is set to kick off Friday in downtown Scranton.
I had the chance to speak with one vendor about what it takes to get ready for the event.
Where to park, what vendors will be at La Festa
"It's chaos, but luckily we're right behind our tent, so it's easy travel bringing everything out. But, it's definitely a lot to, a lot to do," emphasized Tyler Connor, owner, Da Vinci Pizza & Italian Eatery.
La festa Italiana returns to Scranton for the 49th year on Friday.
The event promises to celebrate Italian culture and with that comes great food and entertainment.
The famous porchetta sandwich, pizza, cannoli, and more mouth watering dishes, all set to be served up, but what does it take to serve these delicious delicacies to upwards of 120,000 people?
"Ten cases of pepperoni, we probably do a thousand pizzas, like total. We've got pizza ovens, fryers, tables, racks for all the slices, freezers, and coolers for all the drinks and whatnot. Seven hundred pounds of cheese and chicken. So, we're ready," stated Connor
Tyler Connor is participating in his second La Festa with Da Vinci's, but this isn't his first time here.
"I used to come down here all the time as a kid. I looked forward to it every year, love it and it's like a true blessing to be able to take part of it now," said Connor.
Joe Guido is the vice president and co-chair.
He says it's amazing to see how far the festival has come in 49 years.
"It's a little overwhelming. I mean, there's a lot of festivals in this area. But, I mean this is a huge festival, and it kind of makes us proud that they want to come every year and take part of this event and do all this work and effort put into it, to make this a special event," expressed Guido.
Admission is free. The festival will be held from Friday August 29 through Monday September 1. The hours fluctuate on those days.
