Seattle Center's Italian Festival Set for This Weekend

Seattle's celebration of all things Italian returns to Seattle Center, 10 a.m. - 7 p.m., Saturday, Sept. 27 and 10 a.m. - 6 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 28, in Seattle Center Armory, Fisher Pavilion and Seattle Center Pavilion.

Seattle Center Festál: Festa Italiana Seattle, now in its 27th year, offers free live performances, arts, foods and food demonstrations, a grape stomp, games and a lively marketplace to explore the cultural roots and contemporary influences of Italy and Italian-Americans in the Pacific Northwest.

Italian Festival highlights:

Mbrascatu: the five-piece world-music group from Portland, OR presents original Italian Indie music at its best, 6 p.m. on Saturday and 5 p.m. Sunday, in Fisher Pavilion.

Gerardo DiPietro: this deaf storyteller performs Dan Yaccarino's All the Way to America: The Story of a Big Italian Family and a Little Shovel using spoken word and American Sign Language, 12:15 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, Seattle Center Pavilion.

Italian Dog Show: many Italian breeds including Italian Greyhounds, Spinoi Italiani, Cirneci dell'Etna and Lagotti Romagnoli are shown and participate in "Puppy Parades" 12:15 p.m. and 2:15 p.m. each day in the Kid's Courtyard.

Great Italian Chefs: Frank Isernio, founder and CEO of Isernio's Sausage Company, shares family recipes and cooking tips, 3 p.m., Saturday on the Cooking Stage. Check www.festaseattle.com for a full schedule of chef demonstrations.

Bocce Tournament: a favorite feature of the festival, the Italian version of lawn bowling includes a Masters division for professionals and a Recreational division for occasional players, this year in Seattle Center Armory.

Carter Family Marionettes: present "The Sorcerer's Apprentice," the Comedia dell' Arte version of Pulcinella, the beloved Italian clown as the ill-fated apprentice, 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday and Sunday, in Seattle Center Pavilion.

Taste of Italy: features 60 Italian wines, along with Italian antipasti and crudités (admission charge applies), 7 p.m. on Saturday, in Seattle Center Armory.

The Italian Festival is produced in partnership with Festa Italiana. For more information on The Italian Festival, visit www.festaseattle.com. Click on www.seattlecenter.com or call 206 684-7200 to learn more about Seattle Center Festál and other outstanding public programming offered at Seattle Center.