Back for its 15th year, the Hilton Head Italian Heritage Festival will again be packed full of mouthwatering food, live music, and engaging activities for all ages. The event is slated for Saturday, October 18, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Coastal Discovery Museum at Honey Horn. Admission is $8 per person, with children under 10 admitted free of charge.
The event promises plenty of Italian dining options from several locally owned restaurants. Authentic Italian menu items, including pasta with meatballs, zeppoli, fried ravioli, cannolis, and espresso will be available. Wine, beer, and soft drinks will also be available.
Festival highlights include Caesar’s Legio XIIII reenacting the Roman Army from 57 B.C. with full costumes, artifacts, and displays. Children will enjoy fun slides and bouncy houses. Mr. Puppet, an entertaining comedian and puppet master, will also be performing in the children’s area to the delight of all ages.
The Hilton Head Big Band will keep the crowd singing and swaying with an impressive number of local musicians filling the main event stage. A silent auction will feature restaurant gift certificates, golf foursomes to area courses, gift baskets, and unique special experiences. Non-food vendors will also be on hand for shopping.
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Due to popular demand, the grape stomping contest is back again! Contestants will get to feel the grapes between their toes as they race to smash grapes as quickly as possible.
The pizza eating contest is also back for 2025 and will be an entertaining spectacle for both competitors and the audience. New York City Pizza donates the competition cheese pizzas each year.
The festival is hosted by the Italian-American Club of Hilton Head (IACHH) with a current membership of 162 people. IACHH hosts weekly luncheon meetings at Frankie Bones and is always welcoming new members. Their goal is to promote Italian heritage and culture while also supporting the local community through fundraising efforts. Both of those efforts are combined into one massive and fun event each year at the festival.
Proceeds raised by the IACHH are used to provide scholarships to recent high school graduates pursuing higher education opportunities. Nine scholarships were awarded this past year. Other funds were donated by the club this year to support 26 local nonprofits, including Pockets Full of Sunshine, Heroes on Horseback, Hospice Care of the Lowcountry and the Children’s Center.
During the 2017 Italian Heritage Festival at Shelter Cove, the IACHH set the Guinness World Record for the largest meatball ever made. The massive meatball weighed in at 1,707 pounds and 8 ounces, measured approximately 6 feet by 4 feet and took five days to cook. It was made with a mixture of beef and veal and required a large, custom-made oven. A representative from Guinness World Records was on hand to taste and certify the new record during the festival. The previous record was held by an Ohio Italian-American Club at 1,100 pounds. To this date, the IACHH still holds the Guinness World Record for the world’s largest meatball.
John De Cecco has served as President of IACHH for the past 14 years. He moved to Hilton Head in 2010 with a passion to preserve and share his Italian heritage. Simply put, he states it is “who I am and what we do.”
The IACHH festival committee is composed of seven members who work together to put on the event. De Cecco, admitting that the festival is a lot of work, said it “wouldn’t be possible without the help of all of our members and volunteers.” He said his favorite part is watching people have fun and enjoy themselves during the event.
The 2025 Hilton Head Italian Heritage Festival is a wonderful way to enjoy a fall weekend, spend time with friends, and support the community. For more information about the IACHH or the festival, visit iachh.org or find the Italian-American Club of Hilton Head on Facebook.
