News Archive

The Ottawa Italian Car Parade

A Tradition Since 1979 and Canada's Largest Italian Car Gathering

In June of 1979, a small parade of Italian cars wound its way down Preston Street and the adjoining streets of Little Italy as part of Ottawa's annual Italian Festival / Settimana Italiana. The parade was organized by Delio D'Angelo and Giovanni Centofanti, both of whom had come to Canada from Italy a few years earlier and who were working as mechanics at Frank's Auto Centre on Norman Street just off Preston.

Italian cars were becoming more popular at the time and were an economical alternative to the gas guzzlers from Detroit.  But there were also Italian sports cars such as the Spiders from Alfa Romeo and Fiat that were attracting enthusiasts as depicted in the movie The Graduate.  Delio and Giovanni, who were soon to become the co-owners of Frank's, saw the parade along with their expanding clientele as a celebration of this growing passion for Italian cars.  And so, the first Italian Car Parade in Ottawa took place on that spring day in 1979.

Delio and Giovanni perhaps did not know that their little parade would go on to become the largest parade of Italian automobiles in Canada.  The parade celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2019.  (The parade was cancelled in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic).

Growing in size and stature every consecutive year, the parade attracts over 150 cars, participants from Montreal and Toronto, and thousands of spectators along Preston Street.  The parade has become a centerpiece of Italian Festival / Settimana Italiana and a tourist attraction for Ottawa in conjunction with the annual Ferrari Festival. 

We look forward to joining with you to celebrate the 41st edition of the Italian Car Parade in 2022 on June 18!

To see more photos of past parades click on the Photos tab and select any of the annual Car Parade folders