The Italian Market has been one of Philly’s greatest cultural treasures for over 100 years. Ninth street is full of life with colorful awnings and delicious bites spanning the globe.
This weekend kicks off the market’s annual festival. The beloved block party runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday, and will feature live music, food tents, wine slushies, greased-up poles and more.
“I’m always excited about the festival,” said Michelle Gambino, business manager at Italian Market Businessmen’s Association. “We’re the heart of South Philly . . . Ninth Street has always been an immigrant community of immigrant business owners, and I feel like the festival showcases that to the fullest.”
Where is the fest?
The festival will run down Ninth Street from Fitzwater to Wharton Street. Certain intersecting streets will also be closed down.
The Italian Market has a map on its website highlighting key information such as vendors, live music spaces and bathroom locations.
While you can take a car to get there, public transit may be the better bet because finding a parking spot may prove difficult. Bus routes, such as the 47, 47M and 64, will run close to the market before detours begin, and the Broad Street Line is about a 10- to 15-minute walk from the Ellsworth-Federal stop. And of course, you can always ride your bike down.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
“The nicest thing for me is the sense of community that we get during the festival, the amount of people that are there,” Gambino said. “People that are just visiting for the first time, people that have lived in the community, our suburban neighbors, our South Philly neighbors.”
“That’s what I really love the most about the festival,” she explained, “the collection of visitors.”
Special Events
Part of what makes the Italian Market Fest such a fan favorite is its signature events — one of which is a grease pole climbing competition, where, unlike after a big sports win, citizens are actually sanctioned to ascend a slippery pole. The competition takes place both Saturday and Sunday.
“Grease pole climbing is an old world tradition where back in the day and across Europe poles would be greased, but the poles would be over a body of water usually,” Gambino explained. “Our pole is 30 feet and it’s greased, and there’s prizes at the top.”
“We’ve been doing it for a lot of years,” she added. “People have kind of figured out the art form of what it takes, really, to climb the pole successfully. So it’s interesting now, because teams will come prepared for that. They’ve watched and they’ve learned.”
In addition, the neighborhood festival will hold a half ball tournament on Saturday. Half ball is kind of like baseball, but doesn’t involve bases, uses a rubber ball and takes place on the street. The competition is a fundraiser for the John Marzano Wood Bat Scout League. Play starts at 10 a.m. and teams can register on site.
On Sunday, the Procession of Saints begins at 11 a.m. at St. Mary Magdalen Church. The annual Roman Catholic procession involves marching bands and life-sized statues of religious saints, which get carried down Ninth Street. The saints featured include St. Anthony of Padua, and this year there will also be some authentic Padre Pio relics.
Mangia! Mangia!
The Italian market is known for its good eats, and there is going to be an almost endless amount of food and drink at this festival.
“We’re having these wine slushies that are coming this year,” Gambino said. “All the great food! The bruschetta, and the chicken cutlets and the macaroni and meatballs. I would always defer to macaroni and meatballs, because that’s my favorite thing.”
The list of vendors is long and 150 are featured online. Some highlights include Beck’s Cajun Cruisers, Isgro’s Pastries, Genos Steaks, Kyushi Ramen & Sushi, Palenque, Taluttos and more.
“Di Bruno Brothers is doing arancini, the rice balls, which are so good,” Gambino added. “We have the chocolate-covered strawberries, and the ice cream, and the gelato, and the pizza, cheesesteaks. So there’s a lot of food to pick from. The tacos are always delicious! There’s a variety.”
Music and dancing
This year the festival will include three stages, upping the count from two. There will be the Beer Garden and Christian Street Stage, the Washington Avenue Stage and the Philadelphia Union Stage, which is new and features Philadelphia Union DJs.
“We have, you know, exciting bands that play in Philadelphia. They play in Wildwood, and we have known DJs that come … Timmy DeSimone and Eric Bartello and Johnny Looch, so we’re excited.”
Bring the famiglia!
This year’s event will be full of festivities and deliciousness. Saturday’s weather may bring some rain, and Sunday is looking partly cloudy.
“It’s a celebration of community, really,” Michelle said. “That’s what the festival is about … It’s nice that we get to close the street and people can walk around and experience different food and drinks and music. We’d like to have a chill festival where people just come and enjoy themselves.”
