Kenosha Italian Fest Schedule 2026: Plan Your Weekend on the Lakefront

Throughout the day: Sicilian Serenaders roaming the grounds · cooking demonstrations · authentic Italian food & drink · Heritage Tent & cultural exhibits · Kids Zone Carnival · bocce courts · Cigar Tent · festival apparel & merchandise

Throughout the day: Sicilian Serenaders roaming the grounds · cooking demonstrations · authentic Italian food & drink · Heritage Tent & cultural exhibits · Kids Zone Carnival · bocce courts · Cigar Tent · festival apparel & merchandise

Admission is $5 for a single day or $10 for a three-day weekend pass, which saves you $5 if you plan to come all weekend.

Kids 11 and under get in free. Paid admission starts at age 12.

There are two more ways in at no charge. Everyone who walks in Saturday’s parade gets in free, and everyone who attends Sunday’s 10:00 AM outdoor Mass gets free admission for the day, so you can stay right through the afternoon.

Buy ahead and your ticket arrives by email with a QR code. Show it on your phone at the gate, no printing needed. We scan it once and hand you a wristband that lets you come and go all day.

You don’t have to buy in advance. Admission is also sold at the gate, but buying online speeds up your entry.

Payment works differently depending on where you are on the grounds, so it helps to come prepared:

The short version: festival tickets cover Italian American Society food, drinks and carnival games. For the outside vendors and the inflatables, bring a card or some cash. See more about what’s cooking on the Food & Drink page.

Bring the kids and make time for some family fun at the Kid’s Zone Carnival!

This family-friendly area of Kenosha Italian Fest features games and activities, inflatables and kids karaoke, giving our youngest festivalgoers plenty of ways to join in the fun.

The Kid’s Zone Carnival is a ticket-only area, so be sure to purchase tickets before jumping into the activities.

Inflatables: Inflatable vendor accepts cash or credit cards.

Stop by, let the kids burn off some energy and add a little carnival fun to your Italian Fest weekend!

Experience Italian food traditions firsthand with live cooking demonstrations, recipes and tastings Saturday and Sunday at Kenosha Italian Fest!

Eating & Cooking Demonstrations TentSponsored by Rita Trotta and Dr. Francesca DeRose

Sunday’s 2:30 and 3:00 PM presentations and tastings are brought to you by Tenuta’s, a Kenosha tradition. Products showcased during the presentations will be available for purchase and can also be found year-round at Tenuta’s Deli, 3203 52nd Street in Kenosha.

Saturday, September 19 | 11:00 AM

The Kenoshans of Italian Descent & Friends Parade celebrates the Italian families, heritage and traditions that have helped shape Kenosha, along with the friends and community members who help keep those traditions alive.

Everyone is invited to participate! You do not need to be of Italian descent or have a family sign to join the parade. Whether you’re Italian by heritage, Italian at heart or simply a friend of the Italian community, we invite you to walk with us and be part of the celebration.

Arrival: No later than 10:30 AM
Entrance: Gate C
Parade location: Kenosha Harbor

All pre-ordered parade signs will be waiting onsite and arranged alphabetically according to the name closest to the letter A on your sign.

For example, if multiple family names appear on your sign, look for it under the family name that comes first alphabetically.

Please allow enough time to arrive, locate your sign if you have one, and be ready before the parade begins promptly at 11:00 AM.

Sunday, September 20 | 10:00 AM

Kenosha’s own Father Domenic Roscioli returns home to celebrate a traditional Catholic Mass at 10:00 AM at Celebration Place.

Join family, friends and the community for this special outdoor Mass before the festival gates officially open at 11:00 AM.

Everyone who attends Mass receives free admission to Kenosha Italian Fest for Sunday, so stay after the service and enjoy a full day of Italian food, live entertainment, cooking demonstrations, cultural experiences, family activities and more.

All are welcome to attend.

Kenosha Italian Fest takes place at Celebration Place at HarborPark, 5501 Ring Road, Kenosha, WI 53140, on the Lake Michigan lakefront in Downtown Kenosha, just east of the Civil War Museum. Open it in Google Maps.

Parking is available directly east of the festival and throughout Downtown Kenosha, including public lots, street parking and the free Downtown Parking Structure on Eighth Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets. Please follow all posted parking signs.

Accessible parking is available by visiting the festival gate, and the festival grounds are handicap accessible.

Looking for another way to get to Italian Fest?

The Kenosha Italian Fest entrance is on the Kenosha Electric Streetcar route, making the streetcar a fun and convenient way to travel through Downtown Kenosha and HarborPark to the festival.

The historic electric streetcar travels a two-mile loop through Downtown Kenosha and along the Lake Michigan shoreline and HarborPark.

Guests planning to use the streetcar should keep the operating hours in mind, particularly if staying at the festival into the evening.

The Grand Raffle drawing takes place Sunday afternoon in the Colosseum Tent, and the prizes are worth sticking around for:

Raffle tickets are sold at the festival throughout the weekend and are cash only. Festival tickets and credit cards are not accepted for the raffle, so bring cash if you want to enter. Proceeds benefit the Italian American Society of Kenosha.

Wisconsin raffle license R0042374-A-75974

Festival apparel and merchandise are for sale at the merchandise booth on the festival grounds all weekend.

The merchandise booth accepts cash, credit cards and festival tickets, so however you came prepared to pay, you are covered.

Pre-ordered merchandise should be picked up at Super Sports.

Super Sports3206 80th Street
Kenosha, WI 53142

Hours:
Monday–Friday
10:00 AM–6:00 PM

For questions related to your apparel order, please contact Super Sports directly at 262-694-9206.

Kenosha Italian Fest is powered by hundreds of community volunteers, and we are incredibly grateful for everyone who gives their time to make the weekend possible.

All volunteers should enter through Gate D.

There is also limited parking available for volunteers near Gate D.

After entering the festival, report directly to the Volunteer Tent to:

Please arrive at least 10–15 minutes before your scheduled shift begins.

This allows enough time to check in, receive your T-shirt and get to your assigned station before your shift starts.

Use the volunteer portal to sign up or see the shift you previously selected:
https://signup.com/group/2922602804

Youth are welcome to volunteer in positions that do not involve alcohol or cash handling.

Parking is directly east of the festival and throughout Downtown Kenosha, including public lots, street parking and the free Downtown Parking Structure on Eighth Avenue between 56th and 57th Streets. Accessible parking is available by visiting the festival gate.

Yes, at most places, though what’s accepted varies by area and the Grand Raffle is cash only. See the full payment breakdown.

Yes. When your ticket is scanned at the gate we hand you a wristband, and that wristband lets you come and go from the festival grounds for the rest of the day, or all weekend with a weekend pass.

Kenosha Italian Fest is a rain-or-shine event. There are tents throughout the festival grounds with food, beverages, entertainment and activities, so the weekend goes on regardless of the weather.

No. All sales are final and there are no refunds for any reason, including weather. Tickets are non-refundable and non-transferable, and this applies to admission tickets, festival tickets and raffle tickets alike.

Have another question? The Frequently Asked Questions page covers the rest.

• Where is it? Celebration Place at HarborPark, 5501 Ring Road, Kenosha, WI 53140. Open in Google Maps.
• What time do gates open? Friday at 6 PM, Saturday and Sunday at 11 AM. General admission enters through Gates A & B.
• Attending? Have your QR code ready if you purchased admission online.
• Coming all weekend? The $10 weekend pass beats $5 a day.
• Bringing the kids? Kids 11 and under get in free.
• Paying inside? Bring a card or cash as well as festival tickets. What’s accepted varies by area.
• Heading to the Kid’s Zone? Carnival games are ticket-only; the inflatables take cash or card.
• In Saturday’s parade? Arrive by 10:30 AM and enter through Gate C.
• Staying Saturday night? Fireworks over the lakefront.
• Coming Sunday morning? Mass at 10:00 AM, and Mass participants get in free.
• Love to cook? Demonstrations Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 PM in the Eating & Cooking Demonstrations Tent.
• Feeling lucky? Grand Raffle drawing Sunday afternoon. Raffle tickets are cash only.
• Looking for parking? Directly east of the festival and throughout Downtown Kenosha.
• Need accessible parking? Ask at the festival gate. The grounds are handicap accessible.
• Taking the streetcar? The festival entrance is on the route. Weekend service ends at 6:35 PM.
• Want festival merch? The merchandise booth takes cash, credit cards or festival tickets.
• Ordered merchandise ahead of time? Pick it up at Super Sports on 80th Street, weekdays 10 AM to 6 PM.
• Volunteering? Arrive 10–15 minutes early, enter through Gate D and report to the Volunteer Tent. Check your shift.
• Volunteering with a teen? Youth cannot work positions involving alcohol or cash handling.
• Rain in the forecast? We’re rain or shine, with tents throughout the grounds.
• Before you buy? All sales are final. There are no refunds for any reason.

Most importantly, come hungry, bring your family and friends, and get ready to celebrate Italian culture, heritage and community on the Kenosha lakefront!

Here’s the full layout of the festival grounds, including all four gates, the ticket booths, the food and beverage tents, the Kid’s Zone, bocce courts and every vendor. Tap the map to open it full size.

Open the full-size festival map