Summer in Little Italy, the weekend festival that attracts thousands of New Yorkers and tourists to New York City’s historic Little Italy community every Friday, Saturday and Sunday during the spring and summer months, will celebrate Ferragosto  2010 with Bertolli Olive Oil Family Fun Weekends and free concerts on Saturdays, August 7 and 14.

            The activities, planned and produced by the Little Italy Merchants Association (LIMA), the local business organization that represents the interests of nearly 50 restaurants, cafes and shops in the area, will include free outdoor concerts by internationally acclaimed Australian-Italian pop star Alfio on Saturday, August 7, and popular New York based Italian-American Broadway and cabaret performer Jenna Esposito on Saturday, August 14. Both concerts will begin at 4 PM in the Performance Area on Hester Street between Mulberry and Mott Streets.

 Families visiting Little Italy on those Saturdays (August 7 and 14) will also find a number of child-friendly performers positioned along the Mulberry Street Pedestrian Mall, including face painters, balloon artists and even a stilt walker!

There will also be Bertolli Olive Oil Tastings at various restaurants in Little Italy between 1 and 3 PM on Saturdays, August 7 and 14. In addition, a Bertolli representative will be present near the corner of Hester and Mulberry Streets to hand out Bertolli –branded balloons and coloring books to children and families.

Ferragosto is an Italian holiday celebrated on August 15. Originally, it was related to a celebration of the middle of the summer to mark the end of the hard labor in the fields. In time, Roman Catholicism adopted this date as a Holy Date of Obligation to commemorate the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary —the real physical elevation of her sinless soul and incorrupt body into Heaven.

Before the Roman Catholic Church came into existence, however, this holiday was celebrated in the Roman Empire to honor the gods—in particular  Diana —and the cycle of fertility and ripening. In fact, the present Italian name of the holiday derives from its original Latin name, Feriae Augusti ("Festivals [Holidays] of the Emperor Augustus").  Almost the entire month of August was taken as a holiday and leisure time in Italy in honor of this feast day.

With his old-world charm and his confident swagger, Sydney-native Alfio offers a refreshingly cool and modern throwback to the legendary singers to which he is often compared.  Known worldwide as “The Voice of Passion,” Alfio recently completed his second album, “Classic Rewinds,“ released by Warner Music Australia, on which he pays tribute to 15 Italian-American artists who have influenced him and his passion for music, among them Mario Lanza, Perry Como, Dean Martin, Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Frankie Valli and Bon Jovi.  

A true aficionado of NYC nightlife, Jenna Esposito made her New York cabaret debut in August 2004 and has since performed shows in such venues as The Metropolitan Room, the Laurie Beechman Theatre, The Duplex and Danny’s Skylight Room. Her shows – Jenny Esposito Sings Connie Francis, Takin’ A Chance on Love, A Hint of Rosemary: The Songs of Rosemary Clooney, SMOOCH and I Hate Men: Songs For The Scorned –have all received critical acclaim.

            Each weekend between Memorial Day and Labor Day, Mulberry Street, the main thoroughfare in Little Italy, is closed to vehicular traffic between Canal and Broome Streets, creating one of the most exciting al fresco dining areas in all of New York City. During the Mall hours – Fridays between 6 PM and midnight, Saturdays between noon and midnight and Sundays between noon and 10 PM – more than 40 restaurants and cafes in the area, with legal permits obtained from the city, move umbrella-covered tables out onto the sidewalk creating colorful and inviting sidewalk cafes.

            Summer in Little Italy is supported by Bertolli Olive Oil, “The Official Olive Oil of Little Italy,” Pepsi Cola/Schweppes/7-Up, “The Official Soft Drinks of Little Italy,” and The Italian Tribune.

            The Summer in Little Italy special events are produced by Crown Jewel Events (www.crownjewelevents.com).