Annual San Gennaro feast set to bring people to new highs

It's not just a new five-story roller coaster that's making the 32nd annual San Gennaro Feast a bit bigger this year -- the event's organizers said entertainment, food and the culture will be just as colossal.

"We're going to have a great time," Anthony Palmisano, president of the event, said. "We're really outdoing ourselves."

The San Gennaro Feast is scheduled for today through Sunday at the Rio, 3700 W. Flamingo Road. The event boasts a long list of entertainers and vendors, all of whom reflect the Italian culture the festival hopes to celebrate. Carnival rides also will be spinning. Palmisano said he expects 100,000 people to attend throughout the five days .

The event supports several community efforts, including Catholic Charities, Three Square Food Bank and Nevada Paralyzed Veterans.

Singer and entertainer Tony Sacca will perform and host the event and organize the line up.

On tap for the week are: cast members of Jersey Boys and The Rat Pack is Back from the Strip, Philly Cuzz from the East Coast, singers from Italy and a long list of other performers.

"I think the entertainment just adds to the whole aesthetic value of the San Gennaro," said Sacca, who has been involved with the festival for more than 20 years. "You can't get enough entertainment. People love it."

He said he is most excited for the Strip performers, so locals will have a chance to see acts from shows in their own town. From 8 to 11 each night, various artists from the Strip will perform 10- to 12-minute sets from their show.

More performers crooning folk love songs will stroll the walkways, too.

"When I went to Italy, all the piazzas had people playing accordions," Palmisano said. "This year we really went after the culture to keep our Italian roots alive. That's amore."

But what really brings the culture is the food.

Sacca said he remembers growing up in the Italian area of Philadelphia and inviting the whole neighborhood over for dinner.

"That tradition is the way I grew up," he said, calling the San Gennaro event an extension of that.

The list of mouth-watering Italian dishes to be served is a long one: linguine and clams, shrimp over risotto, stuffed artichokes, Philly cheese steaks, sausage and peppers, Sicilian pizza and chicken Parmesan, to name a few.

Vendors include Carmine's Pizza Kitchen, Mastrioni's Cafe and Montesano's Eateria along with several other stands.

"It's all about the food," Palmisano said. "I'm going to show off -- Italian-style."

The San Gennaro Feast runs today through Thursday from 4 to 11 p.m., Friday from 4 p.m. to midnight, Saturday from 11 a.m. to midnight and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Tickets are $9 or $6 with a coupon from sangennarofeast.com. Kids under 54 inches are free.

Contact Southwest/Spring Valley View reporter Jessica Fryman at jfryman@viewnews.com or 380-4535.