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PARTY IN KAKAAKO WITH FOOD, MUSIC AND CULTURE OF ITALY
Munch on a slice of pizza while sipping a glass of prosecco as you walk down the streets of Kakaako Saturday, serenaded by strolling musicians or perhaps an opera singer who’ll break into an impromptu aria.
You may not be in Italy, but you’ll get a multisensory experience of the culture at Festa Italiana, the third-annual street festival featuring the country’s cuisine, music, art, cars and entertainment.
“We don’t want it to be just a food festival, but to incorporate other cultural aspects … things you see and hear when you’re walking in Italy,” said organizer Zach Dilonno. “We’re just trying to highlight ‘Where Ciao Meets Aloha’ ” — the motto of the Cialoha Group, sponsor of the event. An attorney/business consultant, Dilonno and his wife, Kira, are partnering with several professionals who thought Honolulu’s varoius cultural festivals was missing one that honored Italy.
The first event drew 6,500 attendees in 2017, last year’s drew 9,000, Dilonno said.
The festival will be held on Cooke Street between Auahi and Halekauwila streets, which will be closed to traffic, with an entertainment stage and children’s activities (including bocci ball and art work) in Mother Waldron Park. It will run from 4 to 10 p.m.
Admission is free, with food and drink sold by more than 20 vendors. Allegrini Mozzarella, Appetito Craft Pizza & Wine Bar, Mediterraneo Ristorante Italiano and Onda Pasta are among them, but non-Italian food vendors, such as Pono Pork, Purve Donut Stop and Town will offer Italian-inspired dishes. Entree plates will be priced no higher than $8 to encourage sampling, Dilonno said.
A beer/wine/cocktail garden,“Il Vigneto,” will feature Italian beers and wine. Italian foods will be sold at the Mercato, with items from R. Field Wine Co., fresh Onda Pasta, Island Olive Oil and more.
A selection of vehicles by famous Italian carmakers will be on display courtesy of Velocity Honolulu. Entertainment will include the Hawaii Youth Symphony, Hawaii Opera Theatre and Ballet Hawaii.
Dilonno said the most engaging incidents in the past two years have occurred when an opera singer, walking around in plain clothes, would “out of nowhere, start singing, giving a flash performance — people lose their minds, people are literally jaw-dropping. Where else do you see opera other than concert halls, so this really brings opera to the streets.”
Passaporto Italiano — VIP tickets — are $115 in advance; $125 at the door. VIPs may dine in an enclosed section from 6 to 9 p.m, on dishes from Arancino at The Kahala, Maui’s Sale Pepe, Vino Italian Tapas & Wine Bar, and other top-tier restaurants.
Full details: festaitalianahawaii.com.
HILO’S TWO LADIES MOCHI FEATURED AT RICE FEST
Fans of Two Ladies Kitchen, mochi-making masters from Hilo, have the rare chance to sample the ladies’ sweet treats on Oahu, at Saturday’s Rice Festival at Victoria Ward Park.
Mochi is made from rice, after all, so it fits in nicely with the festival celebration of rice and the foods that go with it.
The event runs from 3 to 9 p.m., with poke bowl-, loco moco- and musubi-eating contests held hourly starting at 6:30 p.m.
A likely top draw, Two Ladies Kitchen, is making its first appearance at the festival, selling an assorted pack of six mochi. Supply will be limited. (Alas, the famed Two Ladies strawberry mochi can’t make the interisland trip.)
You can also eat your way through the wares of 23 other vendors, from Off the Hook Poke Market to Maile’s Thai Bistro to Rainbow Drive-In. For a relief from rice you’ll also find Burgers on Bishop, Dillingham Saimin and sweet thoughts from the likes of Hawaiian Honey Cones.
That’s just a sampling. For a full list of vendors and of the day’s entertainment, go to ricefest.com.
And don’t just think about your own tummy. Donations of cash and brown rice will be taken for Lanakila Meals on Wheels and its mission of serving Hawaii’s seniors, at the Lanakila Pacific booth.
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