For 28 years, the Eldorado has brought the sights, sounds and tastes of Italy to Reno during the Eldorado Great Italian Festival. From its inception, the Eldorado Hotel Casino has been modeled to fit an authentic Italian, classic European theme.

The Italian Festival held each year in October is a celebration and extension of the great fun, food and family atmosphere you'll find inside the hotel casino everyday.

"We started the Italian Festival in 1981 to pay tribute to our heritage and to introduce the public to Italian traditions," said Don Carano, CEO of the Eldorado. Now, 29 years later, the Italian Festival continues to be one of Reno's best loved festivals, bringing people from as far as Florida and California together."

Join us this year on Saturday and Sunday, October 9 and 10, for the 29th Annual Eldorado Great Italian Festival. The Festival is held from 11 am to 4 pm each day outside of the Eldorado on Virginia Street and on the Eldorado's special events plaza on Fourth Street. This year's festival will be highlighted by live entertainment on three stages, a spaghetti sauce cook-off, the famous grape stomping contest, bocce ball tournament, kids' gelato eating contest, a gourmet Italian buffet and the last big farmer's market of the season!

The Italian Festival is a feast for the senses ... the sights, sounds, tastes and smells of Italy are everywhere you turn. Enjoy free, live music each day! Festival favorites include The Gaylords, Those Darn Accordions, Moreno Fruzzetti and Ray Massa's Eurorhythms.

Sample family recipe spaghetti sauces, sausage and peppers, risotto, polenta, gelato, and many other specialty dishes from Italy. The savory Italian fare will be prepared by the Eldorado Hotel Casino and other favorites such as the Garlic Growers Association of Gilroy and the Castroville Artichoke Growers. On Saturday and Sunday evening, a gourmet Italian buffet will be served beginning at 4 pm in the Eldorado. Jump into the world-famous Grape Stomp, try your hand at the Bocce Ball Tournament and root on your kids at the Gelato Eating Contest. The festival is truly a family event - there's something for everyone to enjoy, whether you're young in age or simply young at heart!

"The Italian Festival celebrates and honors Italian heritage with traditions and customs that are meaningful to all Italians. Food, wine, music, art, family and laughter are truly the backbone of Italian life," said Rhonda Carano, Corporate Vice President of Advertising and Public Relations. "It (the festival) is definitely something that everyone, regardless of your heritage, can enjoy. It celebrates a lifestyle that everyone can appreciate and be a part of, even if it is only for a few days once a year. The Italian Festival is the experience of a lifetime."

For details, call the Eldorado at 1-800-879-8879 or 775-786-5700 in Nevada.