Sunday August 21st brings us Five Dock’s famed festa.
It’s that time of year when spring is at the door and Ferragosto is just around the corner! Come celebrate Sydney’s Italian community on Sunday, August 21st in the heart of Five Dock. This year, Great North Road is just the beginning of Ferragosto. Ramsay Road, Garfield Street and First Avenue will host a litany of events including wine tastings, car shows and musical performances by Danni Da Ros, Ace Avenue and Dorothy the Dinosaur!
You can also look forward to some old Ferragosto favourites, including Cremeria De Luca’s gelato-eating competition, FerraCinema (which will be screening Cinema Paradiso) and FerraCucina, where you can learn to prepare Italian dolci from the likes of Tobie Puttock and Paolo Gatto. Ci vediamo presto!
Ferragosto is on Great North Road, Five Dock on Sunday, 21 August from 10am-4pm.
For more information visit: www.canadabay.nsw.gov.au.
What’s on at Ferragosto
FerraAuto
Car enthusiasts, take note. Local dealerships including Alfa Romeo Owners Club, Canterbury BMW, AMR Motors, Sports Car World, Italian Made Social Motoring Club and Fraser Motorcycles, will be lining the streets with their new models.
FerraCinema
This is an outdoor cinema with an Italian twist, sponsored by Birkenhead Point Outlet Centre. Featuring beanbags, deck chairs, shining sun and classic Italian films Cinema Paradiso and Pranzo di ferragosto.
FerraSagra
A mini-festa in itself, here is where the good times will roll with full bar service, wine and beer tastings plus delicious provincial eats. Kick back with a vino and catch the magic on the nearby FerraMusica stage.
FerraCucina
Located in Fred Kelly Place, the FerraCucina will run all-day from 10.30am. Catch celebrity chef Tobie Puttock join an impressive line-up of local chefs from Angelo’s on the Bay, Sud, Five Dock Meat Market, Cremeria de Luca and Unico Ristorante as they each prepare some of their favourite Italian sweets and treats.
FerraMusica
Located conveniently close to the bar, here is the perfect place to relax and enjoy some musical talent. Don’t miss ex-Voice contestants Ace Avenue and Danni Da Ros as they take to
the stage.
FerraGiovani
Keeping the young ones entertained with performances from musicians, magicians, dancers and dinosaurs, all located opposite Rodd Road. We hear Dorothy the Dinosaur and Fairy Clare are making an appearance.
FerraVarietà
This is the place to get your Italian performance fix. Featuring Italian choirs, Italian dancers, accordion players, solo acts and of course, the headliner Maria Venuti AM. Find the FerraVarietà stage outside Club Five Dock RSL.
FerraMercato
Get ready for a smorgasbord of delicacies from Italy and beyond. With over 160 market stalls at the ready, there is something for all shopaholics, whether you’re after art, clothing or even traditional wood fire pizza.
Message from the Deputy Mayor Helen McCaffrey
Welcome to Ferragosto 2016!
“We have a smorgasbord of fun planned for the 19th year of Ferragosto on Great North Road in Five Dock including orchestral performances, singing, dancing, cooking demonstrations and competitions. We are upping the ante this year with five stages offering a smorgasbord of entertainment and activities, including cooking demonstrations, singing, dancing, gelato and pizza-eating competitions, an outdoor cinema and more.
Head to our main stage, FerraVarietà, to see Maria Venuti AM along with a range of traditional Italian and community-based variety performers or to get involved in our pizza-eating competition.
We are excited to welcome Dorothy the Dinosaur and Fairy Clare as headline guests at our FerraGiovani stage. Young fans will have the opportunity to take part in a meet and greet with Dorothy after the show.
Ferragosto is the perfect opportunity to spend a full day enjoying the tastes, sights and sounds of Italy.”
Competitions
Bring your bike and bag
This year Ferragosto is shrinking its environmental footprint by making it a plastic bag and polystyrene free event. Free bike parking is available on Kings Road and water stations will be easily accessible to fill up your bottle. If you ride your bike or bring your own reusable bag to Ferragosto you can enter the draw to win $100 at a local bike store or at ethical online store Biome. Simply bring your bag or helmet to the Eco-Hub of Canada Bay Council’s stall and enter the draw!
Ferradolci Instagram contest
Ramp up the Ferragosto excitement by participating in this sweet Instagram competition. Simply snap an original pic of your favourite Italian dessert and post the pic tagged @canadabay with the hashtags: #ferradolci and #ferragosto2016. The winner will receive a Supercar Drive Day voucher from Sports Car World worth $1,195, giving them the opportunity to drive a range of luxury cars along Wollongong’s coastal road and enjoy a decadent lunch by the sea.
Maria Venuti
What can we expect from you at Ferragosto?
I’ll be doing my singing show and I’ll be on stage with my musicians. We never know quite what’s going to happen, a lot of it is spontaneous. That’s the thrill of performing! I am sure there is going to be a very crowded, wonderful and excited Ferragosto audience.
What are your favourite hot spots around Five Dock?
My daughter, Bianca, and I really hit Great North Road and Ramsey Street. We are absolute foodies. We’ve got a crush on certain Italian butchers at the moment! I did a show called Celebrity Come Dine With Me for Foxtel and bought all my ingredients from my favourite stores in Five Dock. Tasting all the cheeses, salamis, prosciutto and dolci was fantastico!
What tunes will you be singing at Ferragosto?
I just love all the classic Italian songs, some of which I learnt as a child from my Sicilian papa, Antonino, while he was playing the mandolin. I will definitely be singing ‘Mambo Italiano’, Dean Martin’s ‘That’s Amore’ and ‘Funniculi Funiculla’ will also be in there.
Just a month ago I was also visiting the colourful regions of southern Italy, the most beautiful region of Puglia. Domenico Modugno was born there. He wrote so many hit songs. His most famous of all is ‘Volare’, so of course this will be included.
Maria Venuti will be gracing the FerraVarietà Stage at 1.35pm sharp.
