Columbia Italian Festival Moves To Saturday, October 17 Due To Weather
Festival will remain at Finlay Park with Italian food, entertainment, vendors and activities
Due to the increasingly unfavorable weather forecast for this weekend, organizers of the Columbia Italian Festival have made the decision to postpone the festival by one week to Saturday, October 17, 2026, from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Finlay Park.
The festival was originally scheduled for Saturday, October 10.
After closely monitoring the forecast and consulting with local partners, organizers determined that moving to the established rain date was the best decision for the safety and overall experience of festival guests, vendors, entertainers, volunteers and partners.
“We’ve worked incredibly hard to bring the Italian Festival back to Columbia after more than a decade, and we want the community to be able to experience it the way it was intended,” said Festival Lead Tripp Roche. “With the weather expected this weekend and a much more favorable opportunity the following Saturday, postponing by one week gives us the best chance to deliver the celebration Columbia has been waiting for.”
The City of Columbia has worked with festival organizers to accommodate the new date at Finlay Park. The festival will now take place from 1:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, October 17.
Admission remains FREE.
Throughout the day, guests can enjoy Italian food and desserts, local vendors, Ferrari displays, children’s activities, bocce, cornhole, cultural demonstrations, live art demonstrations, live entertainment and more throughout Finlay Park.
All festival activities will remain at Finlay Park in downtown Columbia.
Organizers encourage the public to help spread the word about the new date and look forward to welcoming Columbia back to Finlay Park on October 17 for the return of the Italian Festival.
