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.

In 2023 the event happens on Sunday, June 11th.

Italian Day on Commercial Drive

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 reputedly the region’s largest street party event, attracting a couple of hundred thousand 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 planned to host a smaller Italian-themed event that year on Sunday, August 28th.

Italian Day in Grandview Park in 2022 was a mini event celebrating Italian culture, food and heritage in August. Commercial Drive wasn’t closed down on the day, although some side streets around the park may have been. All the event’s activities happened in the park.

Where and When

Italian Day on the Drive takes place each year on the second Sunday in June. In 2020 the festival was going to be on Sunday, June 14, from noon until 8:00 pm. However, the event was cancelled because of the COVID-19 pandemic. It didn’t take place in 2021 either.

The event didn’t happen in 2022, at least not in its usual format. Italian Day takes place in 2023, however, on Sunday, June 11th.

In years when it does take place, the event runs along Commercial Drive in Vancouver’s “Little Italy” for the 14 or so blocks between Venables and Grandview.

About Italian Day on the Drive

At Italian Day on the Drive expect to see over 120 different market vendors and lots of green, white and red colours. As many as 20 different patios are opened up, serving everything from pizza to pasta to gelato.

There are also 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, plus for adults lots of opportunities to buy great espressos and cappuccinos.

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. The 2020 lineup was not released before the event got cancelled. For an idea of what to expect when the event returns on June 11th, 2023, below is the schedule from 2019.

Grandview Park Stage (in 2019)

Grandview Park is located at 1657 Charles Street (on Napier Street between Charles and William Street).

Below was the schedule for the stage at the park in 2019.

12:30 pm – Coro Folcloristico Trevigiano
1:20 pm – Luna Rossa
2:45 pm – Carmelina Cupo
4:00 pm – Marco Bori & Danilo Ciaccia
4:45 pm – Laura Crema
5:35 pm – Vancouver Opera
6:25 pm – Notte Italiana
7:15 pm – Songpati Latinband

2nd Avenue Stage (in 2019)

Below was the 2019 schedule for the stage located at the intersection of Commercial Drive and 2nd Avenue.

12:00 pm – Opening Ceremony
1:15 pm – Gianni Fuoco
2:10 pm – Notte Italiana
3:35 pm – Federico Fuoco and Fire
5:00 pm – City Opera
5:50 pm – Stephen Scaccia
6:20 pm – Marco Bori & Danilo Ciaccia
7:05 pm – Jany Barucci
8:00 pm – Raffle Draw

Piazza Moda – Fashion Show & Entertainment Stage (in 2019)

This stage is located at the intersection of Commercial Drive and 3rd Avenue. Below is what was on the schedule for 2019.

1:30 pm – Stephen Scaccia
2:05 pm – Marco Bori & Danilo Ciaccia
2:45 pm – Grandi Fashion Show
3:20 pm – Jany Barucci
4:05 pm – Venetian Opera
4:40 pm – Notte Italiana
5:25 pm – Grandi Fashion Show
6:00 pm – Lisa Petrucci
6:40 pm – Grandi Fashion Show
7:10 pm – Dennis Mayer

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.

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