One of our favorite festivals is back this September!

 The 14^th Annual Galbani® Cheese Italian Feast of San Gennaro, Los Angeles (www.feastofla.com) takes over Hollywood from September 25-27 with their annual street festival, celebrating everything that it means to be Italian.

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 listen to the sweet sounds of opera, jazz and big band late into the night!

Inspired by the 80+ year old New York City tradition, the Feast celebrates Italian culture, entertainment and cuisine by featuring great food, music, genealogy research, free kid’s corner & petting zoo, pony rides, bocce, bingo, ferris wheel, games and more. Over thirty hours of live music and performances are scheduled throughout the weekend on the Galbani Cheese Main Stage and special guest, Galbani Cheese’s very own Chef Marco will demonstrate Italian recipes on Saturday, September 26^th at 5pm and host a “Galbani Cheese Building Contest for Charity” at 6pm. A “Gravy-Sauce Cooking Competition”, open to all levels of chefs, is a two-day contest full of favorite family recipes and stories for all to enjoy.

“Celebrating tradition, family and great food with our community is what the Feast is all about,” said Frankie Competelli, Festival President.  “For 13 years the Feast has welcomed thousands of Angelenos and everyone leaves the Feast a little happier and a littler fuller.”

The fun-filled weekend commences on Thursday, September 24^th with the opening night fundraising gala, Prima Notte, a night of food and entertainment benefiting The Midnight Mission, a 501c3 charity that offers a path to self-sufficiency for men, women and children who have lost everything.

Tickets for the opening night gala are available online at www.midnightmission.org and are $20 each for general admission with food and drink available for purchase.  VIP reserved seats include a five-course dinner and cost $125 for an individual or $1,000 for a table of ten guests.

St. Gennaro, the patron saint of Naples Italy, worked tirelessly to help people in need and is the inspiration for the Feast created in his name. The Mass & Procession of St. Gennaro on Hollywood Blvd. begins at 11am on Saturday, September 26^th, presided by Monsignors Montoya and Cacciapuoti.

Continuing to support the local community, the Feast will host other special events over the weekend, including a “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 September 27^th. The Feast will also be the last stop on the Youth Cancer Baseball Tour, which takes families of children fighting cancer to Major League Baseball games.  The Uncle Frank Helping Hand Foundation, established in honor of Jimmy Kimmel’s real uncle and regular cast member on Jimmy Kimmel Live! began hosting the baseball tour upon the year of his passing in 2011. “My father (Uncle Frank) 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!”

Galbani Cheese (formerly Precious Cheese), same great taste, different name, is proud to be back for the 14th annual Feast! “We’re so happy to continue our support as the title sponsor of the Galbani Cheese Italian Feast of San Gennaro and are looking forward to this wonderful event that brings friends and families together to celebrate Italian food and culture,” said Jessica Ruth, spokesperson for Galbani Cheese.  All weekend long, festival patrons are invited to enjoy complimentary Galbani Cheese samples and photo souvenirs from the Galbani photo booth. Festival photos can be shared at #GalbaniItalianFest.

The festival venue is conveniently 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 will be held September 25-27, 2015 (Fri 5pm-Midnight, Sat 11am-Midnight, Sun 11am-10pm). General admission is $5 and kids under 12 are Free.

This year, the Feast is affiliated with Christ the King Church, Midnight Mission, PAL (Police Activities League), Uncle Frank Helping Hand Foundation, Be the Match registry and Cedars Sinai blood drive. The Feast also extends support to various Italian American organizations.  For more information about the Galbani® Italian Feast of San Gennaro, Los Angeles, please visit www.feastofla.com.

About The Feast of San Gennaro LA

The Feast of San Gennaro LA was originally created in 2002 under the auspices of The San Gennaro Foundation, a 501c3 non-profit created by celebrity Jimmy Kimmel, producer Douglas DeLuca and restaurateur Frankie Competelli, along with some of Los Angeles’ most prominent Italian-American citizens.   Although the Foundation closed its doors in 2014, its mission, to emulate St. Gennaro, patron saint of Naples who worked tirelessly to help people in need, continues to this day by partnering with various local charities that help underprivileged children and homeless in LA, as well as to provide entertainment and cultural enrichment to the community through its cultural outreach program.