PHOENIX — The Scottsdale Waterfront will once again host the Italian Festival in October, the 10th annual event celebrating cultural heritage with authentic cuisine, wine tasting, live cooking demonstrations and more.

On Oct. 25-26, Valley residents can take in everything Italian in Old Town Scottsdale and the grandson of fashion designer Salvatore Ferragamo, Salvatore Ferragamo Jr., will be the weekend’s headlining guest.

The Italian Association of Arizona will oversee all the family-friendly fun with event hours from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday.




Ferragamo Jr., who owns a portion of his family wine company in Tuscany, will hold a meet-and-greet period from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sunday. Meeting the guest of honor is free, but attendees can also get a signature bottle of wine out of the experience for $150. There will be a choice of either Super Tuscan II Borro or the Brunello di Montalcino from Pinino.

“We are pleased to welcome fashion leader and wine owner Salvatore Ferragamo Jr. to the festival,” Italian Association of Arizona founder Dario Soldan said in a press release. “As part of the iconic designer family, Mr. Ferragamo Jr.’s attendance highlights the strong unity of the Italian community, and we look forward to celebrating our wonderful culture in Scottsdale.”

This year’s theme is a repeat from 2024, “La Strada del Vino” translating to “the street of wine,” as the festival will feature more than 30 wines from all over Italy.

Returning food vendors include Pomo Pizzeria, Mamma Lucy and Marcellino Ristorante, and Elephante and Luna by Giada are among the new offerings in 2025.

Various pottery items, jewelry, artwork and leather handbags will be available from local Italian merchants such as Italian Harmony, Lome and Mamma Letizia.

Check out the full listing of food and merchant vendors online.

Live entertainment at Italian Festival

Greco & Sons, the event’s title sponsor, will be handling all of the live cooking demonstrations and music will be performed by Steve Ansel, Sima and her All-Star Quartet, international soprano singer Ripalta Bufo, The Tre Tenore and others.

While cooking and music are enough for some, children in attendance can also visit face-painting and balloon-making stations.

Ticket information

General admission into the event is priced at $15 if purchased online in advance and will be $25 at the door.

Children 12 and under get in free.

For those desiring the wine-tasting experience, The Salvatore Ferragamo Experience is available for $99.99 until Sept. 30, with the price increasing to $125 after that date. The package includes one general admission ticket, six wine-tasting tickets, four Ferragamo wine-tasting tickets, a wine glass and an Italian Festival lanyard. No wine glass or lanyard will be included for the purchaser if bought after the September deadline.

There is also the “La Strada del Vino” package available for $49.99 until the same presale date and it will be $65 afterward. This includes all of the same features as the above package except the four Ferragamo wine-tasting tickets.

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