Italian Day Crowd on Commercial

Italian Day on the Drive is an annual street party on Vancouver’s Commercial Drive that includes Italian food, music, festivities and thousands of people.

The event in 2023 was themed “Renaissance” and the festivities happened on June 11th. In 2024 the event took place on June 9th. This year’s theme was “STORIA.”

Other events that happen around this time of year include Langley Community Day, the Shipyards Night Market in North Vancouver, Fair in the Square in Vancouver, and the Teddy Bear Picnic in Coquitlam. All of them have free admission. There’s also the amusement rides at Playland.

For a list of other things to do in Metro Vancouver, see our June Calendar of Events or our article about What’s Happening This Weekend. To learn about Italian Day on the Drive, continue reading.

This article contains the following information about Italian Day on the Drive:

Where and When | About the Event | Entertainment | Other Information

Italian Day on Commercial Drive in 2024

If you like street parties, live music, pasta and fun outdoor activities in the city, then you’ll want to check out Italian Day.

It’s arguably the region’s largest street party event, attracting at least 200,000 participants most years.

No large street party took place on Commercial Drive in 2021 because of COVID-19. Italian Day on the Drive didn’t happen in June 2022 either. That being said, the organizers of the event hosted a smaller Italian-themed event in August that year. The large Italian Day street party returned in 2023 and took place again in 2024.

Where and When

Italian Day in 2024 took place on Sunday, June 9th.

The event runs along Commercial Drive in Vancouver’s “Little Italy,” the 14 or so blocks between Venables and Grandview.

UPTOWN LIVE IN NEW WEST

Another awesome event you’ll want to check out is Uptown Live in New Westminster. It too is a free event and it happened on July 27th in 2024. It’s not just a street party. It’s a music festival too!

About Italian Day on the Drive

At Italian Day on the Drive expect to see over 100 different market vendors and lots of green, white and red colours. As many as 20 patios open up on the big day, serving everything from pizza to pasta to gelato.

There are also usually cooking demonstrations, food samples, soccer games, a pasta eating contest, street performers, an Italian clothing fashion show, DJs and three different main stages offering live music and other entertainment including Jazz and opera. For children there are also crafts and other activity stations most years. There are usually lots of opportunities for adults to buy great espressos and cappuccinos as well.

Special activities in 2024 included a game of Human Fooseball on Parker Street and a Vancouver Whitecaps piazza on 5th Avenue. For the first time this year there was also a 50/50 draw with the chance to win thousands of dollars!

Commercial Drive During Italian Day on the Drive

Entertainment Lineup

Musicians and other performers entertain from three different stages over the course of the day along Commercial Drive. Below was the schedule for the 2024 event which happened on Sunday, June 9th.

2nd Avenue Main Stage

Below was the 2024 schedule for the main stage, located this year at the intersection of Commercial Drive and 2nd Avenue.

12:00 pm – Opening Ceremony
1:15 pm – Giani Fuoco Band
3:05 pm – Federico Fuoco & Fire
4:55 pm – Carmelina Cupo
6:45 pm – The A-Deez (80s Tribute)

Grandview Park Ampitheatre

Grandview Park is located between Charles and William Street. Below was the schedule for the park in 2024.

12:40 pm – Gruppo Folcloristico (Adult & Children’s Choir)
1:20 pm – Langley Ukulele Ensemble
2:15 pm – Opera 101
3:30 pm – Luna Rossa
5:15 pm – Luvinya & The Retrolytes
7:00 pm – Jany B Band

Piazza Moda – Fashion Show & Entertainment Stage

This stage was located at the intersection of Commercial Drive and 3rd Avenue. Below was the schedule for 2024.

12:00 pm – MRZ DJ
1:00 pm – Lou Marocco
1:45 pm – MRZ DJ
2:30 pm – Fashion Show
3:00 pm – Stephen Scaccia w/ guitarist Lenny Pallerstein
4:00 pm – MRZ DJ
5:30 pm – Federico Fuoco & Palma D’Andrea
6:30 pm – Fashion Show
6:50 pm – MRZ DJ

Parker Stage

This stage was located at the intersection of Commercial Drive and Parker Street. Below was the schedule for 2024.

12:45 pm – Jany Barucci
2:30 pm – Luvinya & The Retrolytes
4:00 pm – The Duelling Pianos w/ Mark Olexson & Aaron Grant
5:30 pm – Lou Marocco
7:00 pm – Luna Rossa

Il Centro Grant Stage

This stage was located at the intersection of Commercial Drive and Grant Street. Below was the schedule for 2024.

12:00 pm – DJ Storm
1:00 pm – Chloe Hurst
2:00 pm – Giovani Talenti (youth talent contest)
4:00 pm – DJ Storm
6:00 pm – Giovani Talenti (finalist performances)
6:30 pm – DJ Storm

Pastificio Di Martino Stage

This stage was located at the intersection of Commercial Drive and 7th Avenue. Below was the schedule for 2024.

12:00 pm – DJ Nick Fazio
2:00 pm – Pasta Eating Contest (adults)
2:45 pm – Pasta Eating Contest (children)
3:30 pm – DJ Nick Fazio
5:00 pm – Pasta Eating Contest (adults)
5:45 pm – Pasta Eating Contest (children)
6:30 pm – DJ Fazio

Other Information

Italian Day on the Drive is a fabulous family-friendly event well worth checking out. For more information, see the Italian Day website.

For other events at different times of the year, see Vancouver’s Festivals and Events Calendar. Events you’ll find there that are similar to Italian Day coming up in June include the various Car Free Day celebrations on Commercial Drive, Main Street and Denman Street, as well as Greek Day on Broadway in late June.

Other articles that might be of interest include the following: