Festa Italiana, Manchester – What you need to know

UPDATE: There will be no Festa Italiana event in Manchester for August bank holiday 2026

This August bank holiday, Festa Italiana returns to Manchester.

This free-to-enter, weekend-long celebration of Italian food, drink and culture is hosted in Cathedral Gardens, Manchester city centre from 12pm to 11pm over the August bank holiday weekend from Friday to Sunday.

Click through here for more ideas of things to do in Manchester this August bank holiday.

The Festa draws inspiration from the traditional festivals in Italy and features food and drink, mega movies, amazing art and a stellar selection of authentic live music as well as things for the kids to do too!

You can find out more about this free event here or follow Festa Italiana on instagram to keep a check on the schedule of talks, performances and demonstrations throughout the day.

Find out what we thought about Festa Italiana when we last visited a couple of years ago:

We popped down for a visit on the Saturday afternoon – the sun was shining and there was a nice atmosphere. There wasn’t enough places to sit but people seemed happy enough to sit on the floor where needed – they were limiting the number of people allowed in too which obviously helped to make sure the event didn’t feel over crowded but would obviously be disappointing for people who had turned up expecting to be allowed in.

Dave enjoyed a couple of pints (£5 for a pint of Porettti), Chloe had a pot of pasta ragu (£10) which she thoroughly enjoyed. Dave and I shared some arancini and Ben had a pizza. The food was lovely and it was a nice place to sit for an hour or so – if you like Italian food it’s worth a nose.

Whilst I said I wouldn’t go into town specifically for the Festa, Dave was rather of the opinion that it would be a nice afternoon out in the sunshine if we hadn’t had the kids with us – essentially once they’d had a drink and something to eat they were quite bored whereas Dave and I could have sat in the sunshine, soaking up the atmosphere and Italian beer for the whole afternoon!

In terms of getting to Festa Italiana, Cathedral Gardens is easily accessed by public transport thanks to its proximity to Manchester Victoria Station for trains, your nearest tram stops are Manchester Victoria, Shudehill or Exchange Square and for buses you’re looking at Shudehill as well. Public transport is obviously a win if you’re planning on sinking a few pints of Poretti or enjoying an Aperol Spritz in the sunshine but if you’re looking to drive in to Manchester then you need to be looking at car parks near Manchester Victoria or Manchester Arena.

It’s worth bearing in mind that the last time we went to Festa Italiana, it was very open – in that if the weather had been less kind, it would have been very exposed to the elements and decidedly less fun to be eating pasta under an umbrella.

You can find details on more Manchester food and drink festivals here.

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