Entertainment
1 August, 2025
Salami and sausage stars of the show
SOME of the finest salami and sausage makers will compete for the best product at this year’s Mareeba Salami and Sausage Festa.
Held at the Mareeba International Club, the popular event will celebrate the quintessential Italian sausage and provide entertainment and a delicious Italian lunch.
“Entries are very strong; every year the quality has improved,” International Club president and Cairns Italian Festival committee member Lui Garozzo said.
“You can expect anything from a fresh grilling sausage to an Italian-style sausage, through to different regional styles – so a northern-style salami or a southern-style salami - there are many different categories.”
The Salami and Sausage Festa has been running for four years and is part of the week-long Cairns Italian Festival.
“We sell out every year, with about 240 people coming,” Mr Garrozzo said.
“People come as much for the salami as for the great Italian food, they come for the Italian entertainment, so it’s all about Italian community.
“Our main sponsor, Borgo Salumi, [have] been really good in helping our entrants, guiding them in what they should and shouldn’t do.”
Luigi Borgo will also be joining other expert salami makers in a mini masterclass on the art of traditional salami-making.
This year’s event will also be “a little different” in that guests will be able to watch the judging and taste some of the entries, Mr Garrozzo said.
“If an entrant has salami there that they are willing to share, they can do so at their table. We [the club] can’t physically give it to anybody, but the entrant is welcome to.”
The annual Cairns Italian Festival was created to pay homage to the Italian immigrants who left their homeland in search of a better life and future in Far North Queensland.
Since last Thursday, the festival has featured opera, restaurant banquets, the food and wine La Festa, a masquerade cocktail night, fireworks, and will finish up in Mareeba for Saturday’s football tournament followed by the Salami and Sausage Festa and the La Briscola Italian card game on Sunday.
The Salami and Sausage Festa will be held from 1pm to 5pm, at the Mareeba International Club, 10 Vaughan Street, Mareeba. Tickets cost $79.
For more information visit https://cairnsitalianfestival.com.au/
