Grape stomping, bocce and homemade lasagna return to Southeast Portland's Hosford-Abernethy neighborhood when the Italian Festival of Portland takes over the grounds of St. Philip Neri Catholic Church on Saturday, Aug. 22, and Sunday, Aug. 23.

Advance tickets are $7 online and close Friday, Aug. 21. Gate admission is $10, and organizers are recommending advance purchase due to limited capacity.

The festival runs 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday and noon to 6 p.m. Sunday at 2408 SE 16th Ave., according to Hoodline. Italian-American singer Biagio headlines the music stage. Beyond the performances, attendees can browse vendor booths, sip through beer and wine gardens, and turn kids loose in a dedicated play area.

A parish rooted in Portland's Italian immigrant history

St. Philip Neri's story stretches back to February 1912, when Portland Archbishop Alexander Christie invited the Paulist Fathers to establish a parish for the city's Italian immigrant community.

The 1910 U.S. Census counted roughly 2,000 Italian residents in Portland. Before the church had a building, the founding congregation held services in the living room of a local Italian family's home on Division Street.

The current sanctuary was designed by Italian-born architect Pietro Belluschi, a pioneer of Northwest Regional Modernism who won the American Institute of Architects' Gold Medal in 1972.

The Paulist Fathers guided the parish for 104 years before ending their pastoral leadership in June 2016.

Affordable housing on church grounds

The festival grounds also sit at the center of a planned affordable housing development. In January 2021, SERA Architects and Catholic Charities of Oregon scheduled a pre-application conference with the city for a 50-unit permanent supportive housing project on the church property. The plan calls for 13 units inside the adaptively reused 1913 church building and 37 units in a new three-story structure along SE Division Street.

The project, developed under the City of Portland's Expanding Opportunities for Affordable Housing Initiative, would preserve the Belluschi sanctuary while adding supportive services for families. No construction timeline or groundbreaking date has been publicly announced.

If you go

Italian Festival of Portland

  • When: Saturday, Aug. 22, 10 a.m.–6 p.m.; Sunday, Aug. 23, noon–6 p.m.
  • Where: St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, 2408 SE 16th Ave.
  • Tickets: $7 advance (online sales close Friday, Aug. 21); $10 at the gate
  • Features: Grape stomping, bocce, lasagna, paninis, Italian desserts, beer and wine gardens, live music, kids' area, vendor booths

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