PIACE Brings a May Day Celebration to Brooklyn, and a New Vision of Italian American Culture With It

A bold new cultural organization celebrates Italian American labor, culture and creativity with the Festa dei Lavoratori in Bay Ridge on May 1 and 2

BROOKLYN, NY, UNITED STATES, April 28, 2026 /⁨EINPresswire.com⁩/ – Italian immigrant workers helped build the American labor movement, organizing on shop floors and in the streets for the rights that generations would inherit, and May Day has always been part of their story. That history tends to get lost in the more comfortable, decorative versions of Italian American identity that have come to dominate the culture. PIACE (Progressive Italian-American Cultural Exchange) was founded to change that.

This May Day weekend, PIACE will present the inaugural Festa dei Lavoratori, taking place Friday, May 1 (6–9 PM) and Saturday, May 2 (1–8 PM) at Stand4 Community Gallery in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn. Entry is free. Donations are warmly welcomed.

WHO: PIACE (Progressive Italian-American Cultural Exchange), a Brooklyn-based cultural organization celebrating and redefining Italian American identity. WHAT: The inaugural Festa dei Lavoratori, a two-day May Day celebration featuring live performances, music, dancing, poetry, drag, talks, a community bookstore, artist and maker vendors, and food/drinks. WHEN: Friday, May 1, 2026 · 6–9 PM / Saturday, May 2, 2026 · 1–8 PM (Rain or Shine) WHERE: Stand4 Community Gallery · 414 78th Street · Bay Ridge, Brooklyn, NY 11209 RSVP/TICKETS: Eventbrite — Festa dei Lavoratori

Founded in 2024, PIACE has spent its first year building a community of artists, performers, writers, and cultural organizers who believe Italian American identity is plural, dynamic, and long overdue for a fresh telling. The Festa is the organization’s coming-out party: two days of art, music, performance, food, and connection that honor the labor traditions of May Day while celebrating the full, living breadth of what Italian American culture looks like today.

“This event is the culmination of a year of community-building, and we couldn’t be more excited to bring it to life. Stand4 Gallery has been an incredible partner, and their generosity in opening their space to us made this possible,” said John Avelluto, Founder and President of PIACE. “We are deeply grateful to every performer, vendor, artist, and collaborator who has said yes to this vision. The Festa is a reflection of all of us, and a declaration that Italian American culture is vibrant, diverse, and very much alive.”

The Festa takes over both the indoor gallery and the outdoor garden at Stand4, filling the full space with vendors, a community bookstore, art, and food. Friday evening opens with a social reception and live dance performances by Danielle Marie Fusco. Saturday’s full program, emceed by comedian Caroline Contillo, runs through the afternoon with vendors and programming spread across both spaces, with all performances taking place in the garden. The day will close with a special Italian Disco/Freestyle DJ set by Malu Dan.

Saturday’s program features an expansive lineup of performances, presentations, and readings. Performers and presenters include Suzanne Cope (Women of War), Italians Against Fascism, Jessica Femiani, Angelo Zeolla, Isabella Sirota, Lisa Marie Paolucci, Hope Phelps, Alise Versella, Emilia (belly dance), the Italian American Writers Association (IAWA), Robert Arenella (Americanissimo — photographs of the Italian diaspora), Nicolas Lore (Drag King), and Cyn Grace Sylvie (Poetic Fortunes). Global fusion band LaTido!, blending Latin soul and Italian heritage, will also perform.

Vendors are set up in both indoor and outdoor spaces, featuring Art in Little Italy, Robert Arenella Photos, Hidden Village, a Community Altar to labor heroes, Ilaria Murgia, EarringPals, Palestine Skating Game, and PIACE merch, including limited-edition posters and stickers. A community bookstore will feature titles including Women of War by Suzanne Cope, The American Gun by Jessica Femiani, The Bronx Unbound by Angelo Zeolla, and Inaccurate Histories by Alise Versella, with more to be announced.

For the full schedule and ticketing, please visit Eventbrite — Festa dei Lavoratori.

About PIACE PIACE (Progressive Italian-American Cultural Exchange) was founded in 2024 in Brooklyn, NY. The organization brings together artists, creators, scholars, and community members who are shaping what Italian American life looks like today, and gives them a place to do it together. Through a monthly lecture series, social gatherings, workshops, collaborative events, and shared rituals, PIACE treats Italian American culture, history, and identity as living, evolving subjects open to inquiry and ongoing dialogue. A volunteer-run 501(c)(3) nonprofit fiscally sponsored by Fractured Atlas, PIACE is currently welcoming founding members who want to be part of building this community. For more

Deana Graffeo Weeks Alchemy Media for PIACE +1 646-389-7519