© Denis Bouvier

Outside the Portuguese Club of Vancouver, sardines are being grilled for a crowd of appreciative fans. Up and down Commercial Drive from 3rd avenue to Parker St., street vendors, cafes and restaurants were not only selling Italian food like pizza, paninis, and Italian sausage, but food from many other countries. And fans of Italian Day represented the many diverse cultures of the Vancouver area.

An estimated 60,000 people were drawn to Commercial Drive on Sunday June 10th not only for the food but to experience live entertainment, music, fashion, classic Italian cars and many arts and crafts. Not the least of attractions was the coincidental timing of the Euro Cup match between Italy and Spain which came out at a draw 1-1. Many restaurants and cafes with TV’s were packed with devoted soccer fans. Among them, as you can see by their jerseys, are our sardine chefs.

Italian Day was celebrated annually between 1977 and 1982, then discontinued because of the size of the crowds. It restarted in 2010 and if the June 10th celebration is any indication is a resounding success – well organized, well managed and all attendees seemed happily engaged. There is a push for the city to officially recognize the Commercial Drive area as Little Italy.

Italian Day is among the first of many summer cultural festivals. Upcoming soon are Festival d’été, celebrating the francophone community, June 14–24, and Greek Day on the 24th of June.