News

Manchester’s huge Italian festival Festa Italiana returns in August – here’s what to expect

Georgina Pellant Georgina Pellant - 28th July 2023

Festa Italiana, the UK’s biggest Italian food festival hosted annually in Manchester, will return for its sixth season this August bank holiday weekend.

The free-to-attend event, which every year brings together some of the best Italian food traders from across Greater Manchester, has revealed this year’s line-up of food, drinks and culture as it gears up to take over Cathedral Gardens once again.

The brainchild of Maurizio Cecco, the Neapolitan chef behind family-run Manchester restaurant group Salvi’s, every year Fest Italiana brings together Manchester’s huge Italian community for a three-day knees up in at its Cathedral Gardens home.

This year, the festival is mixing it up with brand-new additions to its much-loved programme, including Friday’s Festa Italiana Della Donna – a full day dedicated to outstanding female cooks including Cucina Con Sofia, Carmela’s Kitchen, Salvi’s head chef Valentina Ambrosino, and Claire and Maurizio’s daughter Sienna Cecco – and a grand dining experience, curated with Italian brewery Poretti. 

Speaking on the upcoming 2023 festival, Maurizio said: “This year Festa Italiana is all about celebrating our huge Festa family. We’re delighted to introduce Friday’s Della Donna, and of course the very special Poretti Grande Tavola dining experience, which will gather diners around a huge table, transporting them straight to beautiful Naples.

“We have also prepared a feast of authentic Italian food, drink and entertainment, with fully vegan and gluten free options. Our menu is brimming with love and we can’t wait to welcome visitors from across the city into our little Italy right in the heart of Manchester.”

2023 Festa Italiana line-up highlights

festa italiana
Image: Festa Italiana
festa italiana
Image: Festa Italiana

Festa Italiana Della Donna

This year, Festa Italiana is set for a powerful opening day with the brand-new Festa Italiana Della Donna, where three outstanding women will take centre stage to showcase their craft.

Proud MasterChef UK 2021 contestant and inspiring Culinary Generations winner, chef Sofia Gallo, will be passing down her family knowledge to Festa audiences with a live cooking demo at. Pastaia and Festa regular Carmela Sereno Hayes will be sharing her personal take on the art of fresh pasta making. There will also be cooking demos by Salvi’s head chef Valentina Ambrosino, and Claire and Maurizio’s daughter Sienna Cecco, with details to be announced.

Claire Wheeler, Managing Director and Salvi’s matriarch, said: “Creating a platform for women in such a male-dominated sphere is important to us because, as much as we love creating traditions, we also love breaking them and starting afresh.”

Poretti Grande Tavola

Bringing something new to Festa Italiana 2023, Birrificio Angelo Poretti is hosting the ultimate ticketed dining experience on Saturday 26th August.

Festival goers can pull up a chair and enjoy a classic Italian menu from Salvi’s that has been curated to pair perfectly with Poretti and sip on the authentic Italian lager from Poretti’s iconic airstream – from a delicious Italian Fritto Misto, including an array of Neapolitan street food dishes such as fried courgette flowers, stuffed olives, croquettes, and more, to a beautiful lemon sorbet.

Poretti has been elevating mealtimes for over 140 years so what better way to showcase the lager than at the UK’s largest Italian food festival. Not only can guests enjoy a glorious sit-down meal, Poretti’s beer sommelier will be on hand to explain why each dish, curated by Salvi’s, pairs perfectly with Poretti.

This experience is a ticketed event on Saturday 26th August and the area is then open to all on Sunday 27th August, where visitors can gather, grab a Poretti and dine on their favourite food from the festival food vendors. Buy tickets to Birrificio Angelo Poretti’s Grande Tavolahere

Live Cooking Masterclasses – Festa Marquee (free)


On Saturday 26 August, there will be a masterclass and book signing from Italian cooking superstar and Parmigiano Reggiano’s UK brand ambassador, Gennaro Contaldo (Saturday Kitchen, Two Greedy Italians, Jamie and Jimmy’s Friday Night Feast). He is followed by TV star and restaurateur Giancarlo Caldesi (Returning to Tuscany, Saturday Kitchen, Sunday Brunch), who will bring his Caldesi cookery school and endless charm to the Festa masses. 

Sunday 27 August will see an encore masterclass from Gennaro, while Great British Bake Off 2021 winner, author, and proud Britalian, Giuseppe Dell’Anno dives into the world of bread and cakes.

Street Food

Image: T’arricrii
Image: T’arricrii

Firing up the authentic Neapolitan ovens will be local legends and traditional pizza-makers I Knead Pizza, alongside the award-winning and proved to perfection, Proove.

For the first time ever, Festa will also welcome sustainable pizza champions Purezza who will challenge the preconceptions of authentic Italian food, delivering full of flavour, fully vegan pizza with gluten-free options available. 

The Pasta Factory will be serving up fresh handmade pasta, cooked according to the family recipe books. Priding themselves in traditional homemade sauces, they will also feature vegan options, one of which is well-loved vegan parmesan. Pasta La Vista.

Bringing classic Sicilian street food to the heart of Manchester will be T’arricrii, serving specialty arancini, alongside much-loved freshly-imported Polara drinks, while anyone with a sweet tooth can head over to Cafè Cannoli and Prendi Il Biscotto, who will bring an extensive range of hand-made Italian cannoli and biscuits. 

Luxury gelato parlour Grandpa Greene’s will once again be serving classic Italian ice cream out of their signature truck, with a surprise charity Festa Italiana collaboration flavour, the full proceedings of which will go to The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.

In keeping with tradition, Salvi’s will be serving sweet treats and branded Salvi’s delights brought in from their Deli. 

Bars

In addition to its extensive Grande Tavola dining experience, Italian brewery  Biriffico Angelo Poretti will be serving craft pints from its beautiful Poretti Piazza airstream. 

Festa fans will also be treated to a brand-new spritz bar serving a selection of authentic Italian aperativi, including summer hits Aperol Spritz, Campari Spritz, and Limoncello Spritz, with a surprise cocktail to keep things fresh.

With a dedicated bar this year, Birra Murano will be inviting Festa goers to take a moment to appreciate the magical atmosphere with a clean, crisp and refreshing Italian-style pilsner.

Plus, the Salvi’s festival bar will be serving Italian craft beer, DOP-stamped wine, and, of course, glasses of Prosecco. 

Image: Festa Italiana
festa italiana
Image: Festa Italiana

Music

Italian-turned-Manchester-favourites Compagnia Sole Luna will once again be flying in from scorching Naples to provide a traditional Neapolitan folk music, revisited in a folk-rock style.

The music under the Festa sky will also feature local artists and bands, including the city’s best-loved opera singer The Manchester Tenor, Mojoband, and more. 

Families

Carmela’s KitchenPasta maestra Carmela Sereno Hayes is back with ‘Carmela’s Kitchen’ across the entire weekend, with free drop-in sessions, teaching pasta-loving adults and kids alike how to make beautiful AND delicious fresh pasta from scratch. 

Featured image – Festa Italiana

News

Marcus Rashford officially unveiled as a Barcelona player after sealing blockbuster loan move

Danny Jones Danny Jones Rashford joined Barcelona

Manchester United star and England international Marcus Rashford has officially been unveiled as an FC Barcelona player after signing a new loan deal with the iconic Catalan club.

While Rashford remains a favourite among millions of Man United fans, his time at The Theatre of Dreams has been somewhat turbulent of late, to say the least, and the relationship between him and manager Ruben Amorim was such that it was made clear the lifelong Red was no longer part of his plans.

Having spent the second half of last season on loan at fellow Premier League side Aston Villa, following a fairly uncertain January transfer window, when a move to Barcelona first emerged as a possibility.

The Wythenshawe winger went on to register a combined seven goals and assists in his first half a dozen starts over in Birmingham and quickly became popular among many supporters, but it looks as though his eyes were always set on a switch to Barca.

Leaks of the Mancunian-born and bred footballer and MBE were shared online on Tuesday, 22 July, with Rashford’s arrival at the airport and snaps of him carrying out his first media photoshoot ahead of being unveiled in the famous red and blue stripes appearing on social media.

Joining the Blaugrana on loan under an initial 12-month contract, the deal is reported €14 million (approximately £12m) gross in salary plus bonuses linked to appearance clauses. It was Rashford’s significant wages that made Villa and other clubs’ pursuits challenging.

Most notably, however, the agreement is said to include an option to buy, which would see Barcelona secure Rashford on a permanent basis for an estimated fee of £26 million including add-ons.

At 27 years old and with more goals than United legends like Andy Cole, Tommy Taylor and his ex-manager Ole Gunnar Solskjær – more than 30 of those coming against the ‘big six’ – plenty has been made of whether this price is a fitting representation of his value and talent when at his blistering best.

Nevertheless, it appears that his new home fans have no shortage of excitement, as it didn’t take long for street art to hit the streets of Barca; in fact, this particular mural was painted before Rashford had even officially joined, and people lined up outside the Nou Camp to watch him arrive at the hallowed stadium.

Echoing shades of Scott McTominay’s somewhat reluctant move to reigning Italian champions, Napoli, not only does Rashford’s second spell away from his boyhood club seem it could be very well be a long goodbye, but we’ve already seen a few first-team Red Devils excel after leaving Old Trafford.

For instance, Brazilian forward Antony hit the ground running after joining Real Betis on loan (with the club joking that they needed to start a “crowdfunded to keep him“), and now former fellow academy graduate Elanga has moved to his second team post-United, joining Newcastle for a hefty £55m.

Between them, they contributed to 32 goal involvements since donning a different shirt – the latter doing so in just a matter of months.

Even Jadon Sancho managed to regain some semblance of form after rejoining Chelsea on a short-term deal, scoring the penultimate goal in the Conference League final against the aforementioned Betis, though the west London outfit ultimately opted to pay a penalty to avoid their obligation to buy.

Put it this way: if this is set to be the final farewell from the now-ex-number 10 after more than two decades in Man United colours, it isn’t as simple as a fallout with the gaffer or the player just ‘wanting away’. It’s part of a larger and longer-running pattern.

His old teammate, Paul Pogba, also believes his old club are ‘losing a great player‘.

As Gary Lineker hinted at in his recent interview regarding Rashford and Barca, who was the last Englishman to join the La Liga giants nearly 40 years ago, there seems to be a running theme and “problem” over in the red half of Manchester.

Rashford will wear the number 14: the same number that retired Arsenal and legendary French footballer Thierry Henry wore when he arrived at Barcelona – a player who Marcus had made no secret of idolising growing up and mirrors much of his game on.

Do you think it’s the right decision by Rashford and/or Manchester United?

Read more:

For all the latest news, events and goings on in Greater Manchester, subscribe to The Manc newsletter HERE.

Featured Images — FC Barcelona/Oleg Bkhambri/Voltmetro (via Wikimedia Commons)

News

Government reportedly considering introducing two-hour screen time limit for children

Emily Sergeant Emily Sergeant People on mobile phones

Reports are suggesting that the UK Government is considering introducing two-hour screen time limits for children.

With an announcement on the matter expected later this autumn, Sky News is reporting that social media limits for children are being planned by the Government in a bid to tackle what is being referred to as ‘compulsive’ screen time usage – with Technology Secretary Peter Kyle admitting he is concerned about ‘the overall amount of time kids spend on apps’ these days, as well as the content they see.

Following meetings with current and former employees of some of the country’s major tech companies, a two-hour cap per social media platform is being ‘seriously considered’.

It is understood that, according to reports, instead of simply just being reminded of how long they have been scrolling for, children would actually be blocked from accessing apps, such as TikTok or Snapchat, once they have hit the limit.

Schoolchildren in an assembly
The Government is considering introducing a two-hour screen time limit for children / Credit: RawPixel / Flickr

“I’ll be making an announcement on these things in the near future,” Mr Kyle told Sky News in an interview this week, “but I am looking very carefully about the overall time kids spend on these apps.”

He continued: “I think some parents feel a bit disempowered about how to actually make their kids healthier online.

“I think some kids feel that sometimes there is so much compulsive behaviour with interaction with the apps, they need some help just to take control of their online lives, and those are things I’m looking at really carefully.

“We talk a lot about a healthy childhood offline. We need to do the same online. I think sleep is very important, to be able to focus on studying is very important.”

The screen of a mobile phone
The proposed limit is to help prevent ‘compulsive’ scrolling / Credit: William Hook (via Unsplash)

Mr Kyle admitted that, while children spending hours viewing content on social media isn’t ‘criminal’, but the overuse of some of these apps in particular is ‘unhealthy’.

“I think we can incentivise the companies,” he continued.

“We can set a slightly different threshold that will just tip the balance in favour of parents, [so that they’re] not always being the ones having to rip phones out of the kids’ hands and having a really awkward and difficult conversation around it.”

Read more:

The upcoming proposed screen time limit comes after 1,000 pupils – mostly aged 14 and 15 – at schools in the North East town of Darlington spent a year participating in regular focus groups about smartphones and social media.

The survey found that 40% of them spent at least six hours a day online, and one in five even spent as long as eight hours scrolling.

Featured Image – Robin Worrall (via Unsplash)

More News

watch 2025 women's euros final at AO Arena Manchester screenings

Affiliate

Road to Victory returns for massive Euro 2025 final screening at AO Arena

Cheshire

You can star in your own series of Taskmaster in a castle near Greater Manchester this summer

Affiliate

Classical musician Hauser announces huge arena gig in Manchester later this year

Audio

Clint Boon takes us around Manchester's iconic Deaf Institute

Eats

We go meatballs deep with Mira's traditional Neapolitan sandwiches