WestHollywoodToday: 13th Annual Italian Feast of San Gennaro returns to Hollywood, Sept.26-28th

13th Annual Galbani® Cheese

Italian Feast of San Gennaro is back in Hollywood

September 26–28, 2014

3 days of music, food, wine, rides and games

Celebrating Italian Culture -

Community festival returns to its root

Photography by Karen Ostlund

www.feastofla.org

Cheese sponsor Galbani at Feast of San Gennaro

The 13th Annual Galbani® Cheese Italian Feast of San Gennaro takes over Hollywood from September 26-28 with their annual street festival, celebrating everything that it means to be Italian. Hours: Fri 5pm-Midnight, Sat 11am-Midnight, Sun 11am-10pm. General admission is $5 and kids under 12 are free.

The festival venue is located across the street from the Hollywood and Highland complex and Metro Red Line, at 1651 N. Highland Ave, one block south of Hollywood Blvd. The Feast of LA is affiliated with San Gennaro Society, Christ the King Church, Uncle Frank’s Helping Hand Foundation, Be the Match Marrow Registry and local Blood Drives.

Center, host Jimmy Kimmel w/talkradio 790 at the feast

Inspired by the 80+ year old New York City tradition, the Feast celebrates Italian culture, entertainment and cuisine, and will feature great food, music, genealogy research, a free kid’s corner & petting zoo, pony rides, bocce, bingo, carnival rides, games and more.

Actor Ken Davitian fr Borat movie in front of main stage

Surprise celebrity guests will join the cooking team, as they demonstrate Italian recipes on the Galbani Cheese La Cucina Italiana Cooking Stage with special guest, Galbani Cheese’s very own Chef Marco.

Frankie's Italian sausage peppers meatball sandwiches

The savory smells of Italian sausage and peppers, meatballs simmering in homemade sauce, baked clams on the half shell, warm cheese on perfectly crusted pizza and sugar-powdered zeppole fill the streets of Hollywood while patrons enjoy cold glasses of Sangria and Italian beer.

The fun-filled weekend commences on Friday, September 26th with live music and performances scheduled over the entire thirty hours the festival doors are open.

Special events going on throughout the weekend, include a “Gravy-Sauce” competition, “Galbani Cheese Building Contest for Charity” and a weekend “Will You Marrow Me?” donor campaign for Be the Match registry, which recruits marrow donors to save lives of blood cancer patients. A Blood Drive for Cedars Sinai Hospital will be hosted on-site from 11am-5pm on Sunday.

Center, musician Frank Stallone's band coming off stage

A Procession of St. Gennaro on Hollywood Blvd. will begin at noon on Saturday, September 27th following the 11:00am Mass on the Main Stage presided by Monsignor Antonio Cacciapuoti.

“Celebrating tradition, family and great food with our community is what the Feast is all about,” said Frankie Competelli, Festival President. “For 12 years the Feast has welcomed thousands of Angelenos and everyone leaves the Feast a little happier and a littler fuller.”

Louis Prima Jr w Witnesses featured Sarah Spiegel last year

The Feast will also be the last stop on the 2014 Uncle Frank’s Youth Spirit Baseball Tour, which takes families of children fighting cancer to Major League Baseball games throughout the month of September. “My father always lent a helping hand to people in need. For these families to be able to have a day of fun together, letting the kids be kids again, means the world to them,” said Ann Potenza, Festival Director. “We really appreciate the support of everyone who helps make this happen!”

Uncle Frank’s Helping Hand Foundation, established in honor of Jimmy Kimmel’s real uncle and regular on Jimmy Kimmel Live! began hosting the baseball tour in 2011. The tour concludes with a pizza party at the Feast, a tour of the JKL Studio and a meet and greet with Jimmy before the families go to the Dodgers game.

Feast of San Gennaro statue

ENTERTAINMENT SCHEDULE OPENING NIGHT:
FRIDAY SEPTEMBER 26, 2014
Master of Ceremonies: Mark DeCarlo
5:00p LA DOLCE VITA
6:00p RICKY PARISH BAND
7:00p BROOKE DE ROSA & COMPANY
7:30p LUCA ELLIS BAND
8:30p DON MOST BAND
9:30p MARK GIOVI
10:15p MARK DE CARLO BAND

left, Joe Montagna

SATURDAY SEPTEMBER 27, 2014
Masters of Ceremony: Jimmy & Joey
11:00a MASS: CHRIST THE KING CHOIR
12:00p PROCESSION OF ST. GENNARO
1:00p FRANKLIN ELEMENTARY SCHOOL: TRADITIONAL ITALIAN DANCES
1:30p ISLAND COLLIN: “LEARN TO FLY”
1:45p CIRO GIORGIO
2:15p MEATBALLS OF COMEDY: GRAVY-SAUCE COMPETITION (SEMI-FINALS)
3:00p ANGELA PUPELLO
3:30p JOHN ROCCA
4:00p LAURA PALUMBO
4:30p LOST THE MUSICAL
5:00p CHEF MARCO: GALBANI CHEESE COOKING DEMONSTRATION
Master of Ceremonies: Steve Waddington
6:00p AUTUMN SCARLETT
6:30p MARK GIOVI
7:00p PETE JACOBS BAND
8:15p MARIA ELENA INFANTANO
9:00p NICK D’EGIDIO & THE DRY MARTINI ORCHESTRA
10:15p STEVE WADDINGTON BAND

Rock' n Roll NY Pizza

SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 28, 2014
Masters of Ceremony: Jimmy & Joey
11:00a MEATBALLS OF COMEDY: GRAVY-SAUCE COMPETION (FINALS)
12:00p CIRO GIORGIO
12:30p DEBBIE RAVEN BAND
1:15p ROCCO’S TAVERN: KID’S PIZZA-MAKING CONTEST
2:00p STEVE OLIVER
2:30p MEATBALLS OF COMEDY: GRAVY-SAUCE COMPETION (WINNER)
3:00p JIMMY RENO
3:30p EMANUELA BELLEZZA
4:00p BOBBY BARRON
4:30p GALBANI CHEESE BUILDING CONTEST FOR CHARITY
5:00p CHEF MARCO: GALBANI CHEESE COOKING DEMONSTRATION