MD Italian Festival 2026

It wasn’t quite a natural disaster on the scale of  Mt. Vesuvius, but Mother Nature did blanket the 5^th Annual MD Italian Festival with a wave upon wave of wind and rain over the course of this three-day extravaganza of Italian culture.

This was our second year participating in what’s billed as the largest Italian festival in the state, and they definitely live up to that claim! Spread out across the expanse of the parking lot of Ripken Stadium in Aberdeen (under two miles from our Aberdeen center), the festival was built around a replica of an Italian piazza, with fountains, gardens, shops, carnival rides, a live entertainment stage, and of course, more trucks and stalls offering Italian delicacies and desserts than you can imagine.

Night one went off beautifully, with great crowds, eager to take in the fun. We spoke to people from all over the state, who’d visited our Aberdeen, Bel Air, Catonsville, Perry Hall, White Marsh, Towson, Lutherville, Glen Burnie, Odenton, Bayview, Pasadena, and Columbia centers. We even met with folks who’d been to our centers in York, PA and Falls Church, VA! The evening culminated in a fabulous fireworks show that delighted the crowd, and promised great things to come in the ensuing days.

Saturday morning was off to a great start for the first 90 minutes, after which the rain and wind from this weekend’s Nor’easter blew in, clearing out the crowds, shutting down the rides, and leaving our staff to tough it out for the remainder of the day. Sunday saw conditions worsen, causing the event to cancel their scheduled morning outdoor mass, and ultimately the remainder of the day’s activities. It was a shame to lose out on a day that was so much fun last year, but events beyond our control forced our hand.

As unfortunate as the waning hours of the festival were, we certainly look forward to being a part of this celebration again in 2027. Hopefully, clearer skies will prevail, and much the light and warmth of the atmosphere of everyone involved!