Virginia Street transforms into Little Italy for the 44th annual Great Italian Festival. FREE admission, Italian food vendors, grape stomping, a wine walk, live music on two stages, and a gelato-eating contest. Same location as BBQ Brews & Blues — same free, outdoor, downtown party energy.
No tickets needed. Just walk in and eat.
Virginia Street fills with vendors selling pasta, pizza by the slice, sausage and peppers, meatball subs, cannoli, tiramisu, and gelato. The Eldorado runs an Italian buffet inside. Come hungry — this is a food event first.
The Rome Stage (4th & Virginia) and Venice Stage (3rd & Virginia) run live music all day. Italian and Italian-American performers play traditional favorites and modern sets. Past performers include Primo Basso, Ray Massa's Eurorhythms, and Austin Giorgio.
The signature grape stomp is a crowd favorite both days. There's also a sauce-tasting contest and a children's gelato-eating contest Sunday around 3 PM. These are the events people remember.
Sample Italian wines at stations along the street. Browse an Italian farmers market with produce, olive oils, vinegars, and specialty ingredients. Artisan vendors sell Italian-themed goods and trinkets.
The Row hosts three major street festivals on Virginia Street each year — same location, same free format, different vibes:
BBQ Brews & Blues
June 19-20 • Beer + BBQ + Rock
Italian Festival
Oct 10-11 • Italian food + Wine + Music
All Events
Full calendar →
We read through years of Reddit threads so you don't have to. The sentiment is polarized — here's the honest breakdown.
Overall vibe: "A Mixed Bag." Locals are split. Some call it a "festival of mediocrity" and a casino money grab pushing cheap buffet food. Others manage to find genuinely good food if they know where to look. The trick is knowing what to order and what to skip.
The Sauce Tasting
Widely considered the best reason to attend. Free samples of homemade sauces, and a $5 tray of pasta is a legitimately good deal. This is the authentic part of the festival.
The Hidden Gems
Skip the big plates and look for: artichokes with Italian sausage, mushroom ravioli, Sicilian pizza, gelato, and the black spaghetti. These are the items locals actually recommend.
The Full-Price Main Dishes
Multiple locals warn against buying full meals. Reports of overcooked noodles, watery sauces, and overpriced plates that don't deliver. The meatball subs in particular get bad reviews.
Expecting Eataly
Don't go in expecting an authentic Italian market. Vendor variety is limited — often just one stall per food type. No bottled sauces or dry pastas to take home. Manage your expectations and you'll enjoy it more.
Our take: Go for the sauce tasting, the gelato, and the grape stomping. Skip the expensive entree plates. Treat it as a fun afternoon street fair with Italian vibes and live music — not an authentic culinary experience. If you do that, you'll have a good time and spend $20 instead of $60.
The sauce tasting booths run out by mid-afternoon (~3 PM). Arrive early if this is your main reason for going — and it should be.
Stick to the samplers and small items. The $5 pasta tray at the sauce tasting, the Sicilian pizza, artichokes with sausage, and gelato are the local-approved picks.
Skip the full-price entree plates ($15-20). Multiple locals report they're overpriced and underwhelming. You'll eat better spending the same money on 4-5 smaller items from different vendors.
The grape stomping is genuinely fun and free to watch. It's the thing people talk about after.
Sunday's gelato-eating contest for kids is around 3 PM. Get there early if your kid wants to participate.
October weather in Reno is perfect for this — 60s-70s and sunny. Light jacket for the evening. One of the nicest event weekends of the year.
Same parking as BBQ Brews & Blues — ride-share or use The Row's garage. Virginia Street is closed.
If the festival makes you want more, here are the spots locals recommend for Italian food any time of year.
West Reno. Old-school Italian. The osso buco and homemade pastas are the move.
Downtown. Modern Italian with a cocktail bar. Good date night spot.
South Virginia. Family-owned, traditional Italian. Locals love the veal piccata.
Midtown. Cozy Italian with a loyal following. Reservations recommended.
See our full Reno Restaurant Guide for more.
Keep exploring what Reno has to offer