More than 53,000 attended nation’s longest running annual Italian-American Heritage Parade
San Francisco City Hall was lit in Red, White, and Green In Honor of 150 Years of Italian-American Civic and Commercial Contributions to San Francisco
Carmen Policy, Peter Pace and Thomas “Tippy” Mazzucco Led the Parade as Grand Marshals
Festivities Kicked-Off October Italian Heritage Month; Mayor London Breed Marched in Parade
SAN FRANCISCO, October 10, 2018 — The San Francisco Italian Heritage Parade celebrated its 150th Anniversary on Sunday, October 7, 2018. More than 53,000 people attended the longest running annual Italian Heritage Parade in the United States, celebrating the accomplishments and culture of all Italian-Americans and welcoming all.
More than 100 groups marched in the parade, including business, government, arts and civic organizations from Italy, the Bay Area and across California. The parade board of directors would like to thank all who marched in the parade, as well as our sponsors for their continued support. View 2018 parade photos here: https://sfitalianheritage.org/photos/
This year, the parade coincided with San Francisco Fleet Week and for the first time with the newly announced Italian Heritage Day holiday, which is celebrated on the second Monday in October. For the sesquicentennial anniversary, the parade was led by Grand Marshals including former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Peter Pace, former San Francisco 49er’s executive Carmen Policy and San Francisco Police Commissioner Thomas “Tippy” Mazzucco.
“The 150th annual Italian Heritage Parade was the largest in recent memory,” said Jim Fanucchi, President, Board of Directors, San Francisco Italian Heritage Parade. “Whether you’re a first generation Italian-American, or just love the culture of Italy and North Beach, we thank you for the continued participation and support of this great San Francisco event.”
For parade photos, visit: https://sfitalianheritage.org/photos/
For additional information, visit: www.SFItalianHeritage.org, or follow:
@SFItlHeritage on Twitter
www.facebook.com/SFItalianHeritage
#sfitalian
About the San Francisco Italian Heritage Parade
The San Francisco Italian Heritage Parade is the longest continuously running Italian Heritage Parade in the United States and celebrates the accomplishments and culture of all Italian-Americans in the Bay Area.
While thousands of Italians and Italian-Americans attend and participate, the parade welcomes all. Marchers and onlookers represent the diversity of the Bay Area and include not only dozens of local Italian organizations and clubs, but also local elected officials, local businesses (Bank of America, Ghilotti Construction Company, UPS, Cole Hardware, Peroni, Metro Electric and Fernet and Scavengers Construction) and performers including numerous local high school and community bands, and many more.
The inaugural parade took place in 1869 in San Francisco’s downtown, featuring the bands and marching units of Italian fraternal organizations, including the Garibaldi Guard, Swiss Guards, and Lafayette Guards. Throughout the years, it has remained a sign of the vitality of the Italian communities in the Bay Area.
Grand Marshal bios
Peter Pace is a former United States Marine Corps general and the 16th Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Raised by Italian American parents (from Noci, Italy), Pace is recognized for his distinguished four-decade military and public service career. He has been honored with numerous awards and distinctions, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Distinguished Graduate of the United States Naval Academy and the National Italian American Foundation (NIAF) Special Achievement Award for Military Service.
Carmen Policy is an attorney and American football executive best known for his work for the San Francisco 49ers during the 1980s and 1990s. Policy played a key role in the 49ers Super Bowl victories in 1985, 1989, 1990, and 1995. In 1994, he was named the National Football League Executive of the Year by The Sporting News and Pro Football Weekly, as voted on by NFL owners and executives. The Sporting News and GQ also named him one of the “Most Influential People in Professional Sports”. Policy has established a wine under the label of Casa Piena, Italian for “full house”, in recognition of his five children.
Thomas “Tippy” Mazzucco is Vice President of the San Francisco Police Commission and an attorney at Murphy, Pearson, Bradley, and Feeney. Mazzucco served as an Assistant United States Attorney for the Northern District of California for nine years and as an Assistant District Attorney for the City and County of San Francisco for ten years. Mazzucco is the Vice President of the San Francisco chapter of the Saint Thomas More Society and a former varsity football player at the University of California at Berkeley.