SFO Celebrates Italian Heritage Festival
SFO is proud to celebrate the San Francisco Italian Heritage Festival and Parade, now in its 158th year. The inaugural parade took place in downtown San Francisco in 1869. By 1922, the parade had grown to include marching units, bands, automobiles, and floats. Today’s parade and festival features Italian and Italian-American dignitaries, music, performances, and floats.
SFO’s celebration honors these enduring contributions and recognizes the powerful, ongoing connection between San Francisco and Italy. This connection is not just historical—it is active and vibrant.
Both United Airlines and ITA Airways operate nonstop flights between San Francisco International (SFO) and Rome Fiumicino (FCO), directly linking the Bay Area with Italy’s capital and making it easier than ever for travelers to experience Italy’s cultural, culinary, and historical richness firsthand. These nonstop routes serve as a modern bridge between Italian heritage and the global community SFO supports.
You can also experience a little bit of North Beach right here at SFO. The airport proudly features Tony’s Pizza in Harvey Milk Terminal 1—one of North Beach’s most iconic pizzerias—and the North Beach Mercantile in the Dianne Feinstein International Terminal, offering travelers a taste of the neighborhood’s distinctive charm even before they take off. These businesses reflect the spirit of San Francisco’s Little Italy and honor the generations of Italian‑American families who shaped North Beach into a cultural landmark.
This year’s parade will be held on Sunday, October 11. It begins at 12:30 pm in Fisherman’s Wharf and then moves south through North Beach, a vibrant Italian-American neighborhood in San Francisco that, for generations, has enriched the area with its remarkable restaurants and cafés.
Performance Schedule:
Thursday, October 8 in Harvey Milk Terminal 1 from 10:30am - 2:30pm featuring:
- Ricco Italian Dancers - The Ricco Italian Dancers celebrate the beauty, joy and passion of the dancing and traditional music of Italy.
- Lorenzo Lucchesi on accordion - Lorenzo Lucchesi has been playing accordion for the last 17 years, beginning with playing tableside at Italian restaurants in San Francisco’s historic North Beach neighborhood.