Don't Miss the 35th Annual Grande Festa Italiana.

Summer isn’t over until you’ve enjoyed the food, rides and games at the Grande Festa Italiana at Hempstead Harbor Park in Port Washington. Celebrating its 35th anniversary, the largest and oldest feast on Long Island will be held from Wednesday, September 3 through Sunday, September 7.

As always, the famous food tent offers homemade pasta dishes, heroes and American barbecue food. The food court will have a wide variety of delicious ethnic cuisine, along with a seafood tent and delectable Italian pastries. There will also be a delizioso pasta making demonstration in the piazza on Thursday night at 7:00 p.m.

Beyond the great food selection, there are fun rides and games for all ages, gambling every night, live entertainment Thursday through Sunday, and a spectacular fireworks display on Sunday night at 9:30.

The Festa is open Wednesday – Friday from 6-11 p.m., Saturday from 2-11 p.m., and Sunday from 12:30 – 11pm. Ride for $25 all night Wednesday and Thursday, and rides are free on Sunday from 12:30 - 1:30 p.m.

To get to the Grande Festa Italiana, take the Northern State Pkwy (Exit 29N) to Roslyn Road North to end, bear left onto West Shore Road. Continue for 2.4 miles. The entrance is at the second North Hempstead Beach Park sign on right. (For GPS directions, the address is 175 West Shore Road, Port Washington.)

As with all their other events, the Sons of Italy in America’s John M. Marino Lodge in Port Washington, sponsor of the Grande Festa Italiana, donates a percentage of proceeds to a variety of charities. So come and enjoy the festivities and help support charities at the same time. Buon appetito!