🇮🇹 Italian Festa Social: Food, Culture & New Friends

Come join Melbourne Global Circle for a fun afternoon exploring one of Melbourne’s biggest celebrations of Italian culture! 🇮🇹🍕☕🎶

We’re heading to the Italian Festa & Expo at the Royal Exhibition Building — and rather than wandering around by yourself, let’s explore it together, meet new people and enjoy a little taste of Italy in Melbourne.

Whether you’re Italian, international, new to Melbourne, a local, or simply love Italian food and culture, everyone is welcome. You don’t need to know anyone beforehand — many people will be coming on their own, so don’t be shy!

📅 Date & Time

Sunday, 18 October 2026 at 12:00 PM

Please arrive around the meeting time so we can say hello, introduce ourselves and head into the Festa together.

📍 Meeting Point

We’ll meet at the large fountain on the south side of the Royal Exhibition Building, outside the Great Hall.

⛲ The fountain is hard to miss — it stands around 10 metres high and makes an easy landmark for everyone to find.

Royal Exhibition Building
9 Nicholson St, Carlton VIC 3053

Please check the Meetup page/messages on the day in case there are any last-minute updates about the meeting point.

🇮🇹 What’s happening?

The Festa features 180+ stalls, including more than 50 food and drink stalls, along with Italian music, art, fashion and entertainment.
We can wander around together, grab some food, check out the different stalls and enjoy things like:

🍕 Italian street food
☕ Coffee and Italian treats
🎶 Live music and entertainment
🛵 A celebration of 80 years of Vespa
💃 All-day Discoteca
🎷 Italian Jazz Festival
🍷 Italian food and wine experiences
🇮🇹 Plenty of Italian culture and atmosphere

But for us, the main goal is simple:

Meet people. Have conversations. Explore together. Make some new friends.

🌏 Who should join?

This event is especially great if you’re:
New to Melbourne
An international student
On a working holiday
An expat or recent arrival
A local wanting to meet people from around the world
Interested in different cultures and languages
Or simply looking to expand your social circle

Coming alone is absolutely normal and encouraged.

Melbourne Global Circle is about making it easier to walk into an event not knowing anyone and leave knowing a few more people.

🎟 Cost

FREE!

The Italian Festa itself does not require bookings. Food, drinks and anything you choose to purchase are at your own expense.

👋 About Melbourne Global Circle

Melbourne Global Circle brings together locals and people from around the world through relaxed social events, cultural experiences, language exchange and good conversations.
You don’t have to be the most outgoing person in the room. Just come along, say hello and we’ll take it from there. 😊

RSVP and come explore Italy in Melbourne with us! 🇮🇹🌏

Please note: Melbourne Global Circle is organising a social meetup to attend this public event and is not the organiser of, or affiliated with, the Italian Festa & Expo. Festival activities and details may be changed by the official event organisers.