Ferragosto
Sydney's most loved Italian street festival will celebrate 26 years in 2023! Ferragosto is the City of Canada Bay's largest annual event, attracting a bumper crowd of over 120,000 visitors to Five Dock – a suburb with strong Italian links.
This year, Ferragosto will be held on Sunday, 20 August along Great North Road in Five Dock from 10am to 5pm.
Explore the best of Italian culture, entertainment and cooking with more than 200 retailers, food and merchandise stalls offering delicious street eats and handcrafted goods. There will also be spectacular dance and music performances across five stages, children's rides and activities, fun competitions and more!
Ferragosto began in 1998 as an initiative of Five Dock’s Main Street Committee. The event was originally held in the Garfield Street car park for the first few years but as it grew, it moved to Great North Road. It has now expanded from Queens Road to Lyons Road – approximately 800 metres in length plus most side streets. As the demand, size and costs of the event increased, so did Council's involvement.
The festival preserves its roots in the strongly-Italian local community, with considerable support and interest from local businesses, entertainers, community organisations and residents. The event draws a mixed crowd with close to 60 per cent of attendees coming from the City of Canada Bay and the rest from the broader Sydney area. The crowd demographics are mixed with all age groups represented and a broad cross section of cultures.
At Ferragosto this year, we are actively working towards delivering a sustainable event in a number of areas.
Sustainable transport
Transport is often one of the largest contributors to greenhouse gas emissions for events. Here are some eco-friendly ways you can get to the festival:
- Ride your bike. Bike parking is available at the event. Show us your helmet and go into the draw to win a $100 bike shop voucher! Read the terms and conditions here.
- Catch the free shuttle bus.
- Walk. Get your steps up and walk to the event!
Single-use plastics
Stall holders are banned from distributing single-use plastic bags, straws, cutlery, food packaging and balloons. If possible, bring along your own reusable bags, cutlery and cups to help reduce waste.
Water stations or bubblers will be available at the event. Bring along your refillable drink bottle and you'll have access to free drinking water all day.
Learn about sustainable living
Visit the Council Information stall and speak to the Sustainability and Waste Team about embedding sustainable practices in your daily life.
Carbon neutral
Emissions from this event are offset to ensure our operations remain carbon neutral. To do this, we invested in projects that reduced or absorbed greenhouse gas emissions equal to what we produced, through the carbon offset market.
For more information about Sponsoring this years Ferragosto please read the Sponsorship Prospective.
If you have any questions regarding sponsorship please email sponsorships@canadabay.nsw.gov.au.
Applications for Ferragosto 2023 are not open yet.
To express your interest please email events@canadabay.nsw.gov.au
