Zona Rosa put Italian culture front and center at the 2025 Festa Italiana

Photo by Shea McGraw

Between May 30 and June 1, Italian heritage and culture took over Zona Rosa North Park for the highly anticipated Festa Italiana. The weekend was packed with all things Italian from food, music, vendors, activities, and games.

The longstanding free festival started before walking in. The aroma of the food reached all edges of the park and touched the nostrils of attendees before even walking through the entrance. The combined scent of all the different food options was a smack in the face—in a way that prompts thoughts of, Wow, I didn’t know it, but I sure am hungry. Let’s just say that, even if they weren’t famished before, anyone arriving at the festival would have built an appetite once they smelled all of the fried deliciousness in the air.

Photo by Shea McGraw

Once inside the festival, there were people immersed in all corners of the park, many of which were in line for the various food trucks and vendors that filled both sides of the street. The others were settling in at the tables that had red, green, and white table cloths which added the cherry on top to the festival’s color scheme. Parents were trying to wrangle their kids who were running around the park as other attendees watched on in fond humor. Zona Rosa is already a beautiful city, so seeing North Park be brought to life with people appreciating Italian culture and other festivities was an experience to remember.

Strolling through the festival, I came across a stand called Fat Finger that sold very fairly priced stainless steel, titanium, and costume jewelry for our big-fingered friends as well as kids’ toys (one of the potential culprits of the copious amount of bubbles floating around). Right next door was Tony Mongello and his three-year-old business The Salsa Guy where he was selling salsa seasoning. These unique pop-ups are truly what makes an event like this special in my opinion, because, honestly, where else are you going to see a jewelry and kids’ toy business a foot away from a salsa stand other than a festival?

Photo by Shea McGraw

Once I had hit all the vendors hosted by the festival, I made my way to the many tables they had set up to listen to the tail-end of the food demonstration by Jasper Mirabile Jr., Owner and Chef of Jasper’s Italian Restaurant. By the end, I was hitting myself over the head for not having tuned in sooner because, from what the end product appeared to be, he was teaching the crowd how to make pasta with creamy, white alfredo sauce. Individuals were lined up to get a sample after the demonstration and hold quick conversations with Mirabile Jr. about the food, performing happy jigs and granting head nods in what seemed to be a token of appreciation for his work. Not one person walked away from the table without a smile on their face.

While walking back through the crowd to think about my next steps, I met two attendees. Anna Turnbull and Charles Williams have been coming to the festival every year and it was clear that the food variety keeps them coming back. Turnbull had a great point about why the food trucks make these events so great.

“These places are always so spread apart throughout Kansas City, so whenever you kind of get them all on the same strip, it’s really nice,” says Turnbull.

Photo by Shea McGraw

For people that come to the festival every year, it makes it pretty easy to switch up the food they take a stab at each visit to really taste the variety the event has to offer without putting a massive hole in their wallet.

“We try a new place every time,” Williams says. “That way we have a full taste of everything Kansas City has to offer.”

With how hungry that conversation made me and the fact that I could literally feel my freckles forming in the early Midwest summer heat, I decided to get some fried food to combat the dehydration. The food may not have cooled me down at all, but it did make me feel better—especially because it was fried Italian food. The cuisine of choice was Sicilian Sal’s beef toasted ravioli and mozzarella sticks with a side of marinara sauce. I am telling the honest truth when I say my mouth is watering just thinking back to how scrum-diddly-umptious they were. That cheese pull had a tug and resistance that was just so satisfying.

Photo by Shea McGraw

While eating, local musicians performed on the main stage with speakers loud enough that music could be heard from anywhere in the park. There were songs I recognized, yet sadly couldn’t sing along to since I can’t speak Italian. However, I was getting nostalgia hits from the spaghetti scene in Lady and the Tramp that made me appreciate the couples scattered around the park with conversations and smiles over a shared meal.

The heat was persistent—so exhaustive to the point where I was in dire need of a beverage to cool me down. Many people were carrying around these lemonades and limeades that looked absolutely to die for, so I eventually found the culprit at Sugar Daddy’s Lemonade truck. As a strawberry lemonade enthusiast, my choice was easy to make.

The employee set the drink in front of me, stabbed the lid for the straw hole, and smiled innocently as if he hadn’t just committed lid murder. I could barely grab the drink before going off to the side to put my change back in my wallet because, when I tell you this thing would not fit in my hand, I am telling no lies. I had to use the claw (iykyk) just to carry it back to the table.

After gulping that monster down, now feeling much more hydrated and cooled off, there was one more extremely important food I had yet to purchase—gelato! Because it is an Italian festival, they must have some pretty good gelato, right? Let me hold your hand when I tell you this. There was no gelato—a heinous crime to any native Italian. But I understand. It was incredibly hot and gelato would probably be difficult to keep out without melting.

Photo by Shea McGraw

But there was a silver lining. The double scoop of Zanzibar Chocolate and Mint Avalanche from Mama Doe’s Ice Cream was more than enough to make up for the lack of gelato.

Overall, the festival was a huge success in my book. The culture that was on display for free made it definitely worthwhile to go, whether you are returning for another year of fun or if you are like me and it is your first time going. The other attendees agree as well. Kenya Williams has been coming for many years and loves to experience the culture through the dances, food, and people.

“If they have not ever experienced it, they need to come just one time to see the difference in culture, and get to learn about other people,” Kenya Williams says. “These people are phenomenal.”

Festa Italiana is three days of annually intertwined culture that allows people to offer up an uncommon avenue to a well-known heritage through music, delicious food, and more. I’ve already got next year’s dates marked down in my calendar. Ciao!