This October, visitors will have the opportunity to explore the flavours, traditions and culture of all 20 Italian regions without leaving London.
From Sicily to the Whole of Italy
If you’ve attended SicilyFEST over the past decade, you’ll already know the power of a truly regional food festival. So what inspired the team to broaden the concept and create ItalyFEST?
“The feedback from visitors, the Italian diaspora and London’s food community was overwhelmingly clear,” explains Sarah Spampinato, Founder of SicilyFEST and ItalyFEST. “People loved the immersive, regional focus and kept asking when the rest of Italy would get the same treatment.”
“While Sicily has an extraordinary culinary identity, Italy’s true magic lies in its regional variety – how landscapes, dialects, microclimates, and local heritage change dramatically from the Alpine peaks of Trentino to the sun-drenched hills of Calabria. Expanding to ItalyFEST was the natural evolution of that vision.”
Visitors can look forward to a high-energy, multi-sensory journey across the Bel Paese. The festival will feature regional street food stalls, artisan producers, wine and craft spirit tastings, live cooking demonstrations and an exciting programme of entertainment throughout the day and into the evening.
Designed as a family-friendly cultural celebration, ItalyFEST celebrates the full Italian lifestyle, offering much more than exceptional food and drink.
Visitors can enjoy:
- Live music and DJ sets, ranging from traditional folk sounds to contemporary Italian indie, pop and Italo disco.
- Artisanal crafts and design, showcasing products that reflect Italy’s renowned creativity and craftsmanship.
- Interactive masterclasses and storytelling sessions, where chefs, sommeliers and producers share knowledge, techniques and regional traditions.
Many Italian food festivals treat Italian cuisine as a single, homogeneous entity – usually focusing on pizza, pasta and gelato. ItalyFEST takes a different approach by celebrating the unique traditions, ingredients and identities of each region.
The festival puts regional authenticity at its heart, with producers showcasing traditional recipes, specialist ingredients and local craftsmanship.
The festival has been carefully curated to reflect Italy’s geographical and cultural diversity. Rather than creating a general marketplace, the layout is organised geographically and thematically, encouraging visitors to explore different regions and discover their unique identities.
Signage, storytelling and direct interaction with producers will help bring each region’s traditions, history and culinary heritage to life.
Why did you choose the Business Design Centre as the home for ItalyFEST?
Having successfully hosted SicilyFEST, the Business Design Centre has firmly established itself as the festival’s ideal home. Situated on Upper Street in Islington, one of London’s most vibrant and food-focused neighbourhoods, the venue benefits from excellent transport links via Angel Station while offering a setting that perfectly complements the spirit of the event.With its soaring vaulted glass ceiling, exposed ironwork, and abundance of natural light, the BDC evokes the atmosphere of a traditional Italian market hall or grand Galleria. Its spacious, multi-level layout encourages visitors to explore at their leisure, discover exhibitors organically, and enjoy a comfortable, open experience free from the congestion often found in conventional exhibition venues.
Highlights, Hidden Gems and Recommendations
With the variety of Italian food coming to the BDC later this October, we asked the ItalyFEST team to share a few highlights visitors shouldn’t miss.
If you can only attend for a few hours, we have got the list of recommendations that you should make sure you visit:
- The Regional Tasting Route – Compare regional cheeses, cured meats and wines side by side to experience the incredible diversity of Italian flavours.
- A Street Food Stop – Sample freshly prepared regional specialities cooked to order by expert producers and chefs.
- A Live Chef Masterclass – Learn authentic techniques and insider tips from some of Italy’s culinary experts.
- The Central Pizza Bar – Relax with an aperitivo or craft amaro while soaking up the atmosphere, live music and festival energy.
Join us at ItalyFEST
Taking place at the iconic Business Design Centre in Islington venue from 22-25 October, ItalyFEST will bring together the flavours and traditions of all 20 regions of Italy under one roof.
If you’re an Italian food enthusiast, a culture lover or simply looking for a memorable day out, ItalyFEST promises an authentic celebration of everything that makes Italy so unique.
