Kenner's 24th Festa Italiana March 6–8 Features Pasta Vendors, Cultural Programming

The City of Kenner announced that the 24th Annual Festa Italiana will open March 6–8, 2026 in historic Rivertown, with the main exhibition staged at Rivertown Exhibition Hall, 415 Williams Boulevard, Kenner, LA 70062. Organizers say the weekend will showcase pasta vendors alongside Italian food and seafood specialties, plus cannoli and marinara among the menu highlights.

City of Kenner copy frames the event as an intergenerational gathering: “For over 20 years, the City of Kenner has come together to celebrate rich Italian heritage, culture, food, and community at the 24th Annual Festa Italiana, a beloved tradition that feels like one big family reunion! Started to honor the Italian roots that helped shape our city, this storied festival brings heritage, music, and mouth‑watering cuisine to historic Rivertown each spring. Come enjoy authentic Italian favorites, live entertainment, local artisans, cultural experiences, and good times with family and friends.” The city posted its announcement on February 24, 2026.

Country Roads Magazine posted an event listing on February 9, 2026 that names the Rivertown Exhibition Hall specifically and adds programming details: live music, local crafters, a historic photo display, St. Joseph’s Altar, and opportunities to speak with genealogical specialists. The Country Roads listing also includes calendar export links for Google, Yahoo, Outlook and iCalendar for planners who want to save the dates.

The festival’s own site traces the event’s origin to retired Kenner Police Chief Nick Congemi, who founded the celebration to honor the Italian families who shaped the area. “The city of Kenner at one time was the center of the community for many Italian families,” Congemi said. He added that organizers want the festival “to create a nice, community‑type fair, to make it similar to a family reunion where people come to meet and enjoy each other's company at least once a year.” Congemi placed those family histories in agricultural and working-class terms, noting that Italians in the area “brought the culture and served in every capacity, from repairing shoes to producing the foods that we ate, which really distinguished this area,” and that “This area fed the nation when there was not irrigation in places like Florida and California.” He also pointed to the sacrifices of earlier generations who left their homelands to labor on sugar plantations “for fifty cents a day,” and said the festival “will pay tribute to their accomplishments.”

Practical notes for visitors: the festival site includes a Menu page and a photo gallery (file names on promotional pages include LZ2_0417.jpg, LZ2_9346.jpg, LZ2_0102.jpg and LZ2_0363.jpg), and the City of Kenner encourages readers to check the vendors and the band schedule on the festival’s official social pages for full lineups and timing. The 24th Festa Italiana arrives in Rivertown March 6–8, promising food stalls, cultural programming and the historic displays that founder Nick Congemi designed the event to preserve.