There are few things that signal the arrival of Brisbane winter quite like the smell of porchetta on the Howard Smith Wharves Main Lawn. Festa Italiana is back for its fourth year, and if last year was a benchmark, 2026 has already cleared it.
The headline act this time is something genuinely special. Conca del Sogno — the legendary family-run beach club perched on Recommone Beach along the Amalfi Coast, tucked between Capri and Positano — is making its Australian debut. The kind of place you only reach by boat. The kind of lunch that stretches into early evening without apology. Its chef and host, Pierluigi Guidone, has travelled to Brisbane to join festival culinary director Orazio D’Elia in bringing the restaurant’s iconic dishes to the river.
On the menu: spaghetti alla Nerano — zucchini, Provolone del Monaco, parmesan and basil — and the signature Sgroppino cocktail. D’Elia, who was married at Conca del Sogno, described it simply: “To share a little piece of that experience with everyone here is something I’m incredibly proud of.”
Beyond the headline collaboration, the full Festa Italiana program is exactly what the season calls for. Antipasti, Roman-style pizza, fresh pasta, a Gelato Messina cart, Bellinis, spritzes, a dedicated Italian deli pop-up, and a bespoke Italian lager from Felons. Live music sets the backdrop across both weekends.
When & Where
Weekend 1: Thursday 28 May to Sunday 31 May
Weekend 2: Thursday 4 June to Sunday 7 June
Howard Smith Wharves Main Lawn, Brisbane — free entry.
For those of you who live in the Newstead and Teneriffe precinct — this is on your doorstep. It’s one of the better arguments for living where you live.
Book ahead. Tables go fast.
→ howardsmithwharves.com/festa-italiana
