New events for Piazza Italia 2019

09 Apr 2019

Horsham District Council’s Piazza Italia festival, a celebration of all things Italian, is returning for a 13^th consecutive year this Easter weekend on Good Friday 19 April and Easter Monday 22 April.

This year sees two very different vehicle presentations with Good Friday devoted to Italian Cars and Bikes and Easter Monday dedicated to a Supercar only display put together by Premier GT of Washington.

Both days alongside the cars and bikes there will be a fantastic selection of Italian food, drink and themed entertainments – which this year have been bolstered by Horsham District’s Year of Culture programme.

Entertainers over the two days include English National Opera star Jo Appleby performing as a duet on Easter Monday, roving singers and accordion players and the amazing Hetty and the Jazzato Band as Monday’s bandstand finale.

Responding to demand there will be an even greater range of Italian style street food to eat on the hoof, as well as the Italian partnership market by Simon Faro and Panino’s Giovanni’s Foods. Tastings of a range of Italian wines, aperitifs and liqueurs will take place at Carfax businesses; Panino’s, The Horsham Cellar and Carmela’s Deli.

New for 2019, some of Horsham’s best known fashion & beauty stores will have a range of Piazza Italia inspired offers and experiences, including bath bomb making at the Little Luxuries Company, a free scarf with qualifying purchase in Gerry Weber and the exclusive Cadenza Cashmere range at Sienna Rocks, all in Swan Walk Shopping Centre. Full details of these and more are available via the Horsham Piazza Italia Facebook page.

The Kwik Fit Road Safety Zone returns in the Carfax with the Pirelli Formula One simulator – a life-size replica of a Grand Prix racing car, as seen at the Formula One British Grand Prix at Silverstone, alongside new car displays of FIAT 500s by Bunny Motors and Alfa Romeos from Bishops of Guildford.

The Sporting Bears will return on both days, based in Brock Taylor, Market Square, giving Piazza visitors ride out opportunities in some exciting cars in exchange for charity donations.

Horsham Scooter Safety adding some variety at Piazza Italia by arranging a mobility scooter-manoeuvring course on The Forum. Members of the public will be encouraged to ride a scooter and help to spread the word about the Safety Sessions that are offered for scooter users.

As in 2017, Easter Saturday is not a Piazza Italia event day. In addition to some great Easter Saturday Markets, Bensons’ Fun on the Forum and the Rotary Scalextric in Swan Walk will run all three Easter days with Messy Easter by Horsham Churches Together adding fun for little ones in Swan Walk on Easter Saturday only.

What’s on Good Friday

Following some early vehicle arrivals, Horsham Churches Together will stage its Walk of Witness from town churches to the 11.10am Good Friday service at the Carfax Bandstand. Always well attended, the service brings home the story of Easter and offers a treat of hot cross buns for service goers.

Good Friday’s Carfax display will put Lamborghinis centre stage again thanks to HR Owen and their customers.

2019 will also welcome Italian motorbikes and scooters in the Market Square and outside ASK Italian restaurant respectively. Alfa Romeo’s will have their own display in East Street with the ever popular classic FIAT 500’s taking up position on the Crown pub corner. A small display of FIAT coupes and Abarths is planned for the Forum alongside Benson’s funfair rides.

On the Carfax , a new feature ‘Crates Classics’, will showcase a number of interesting vehicles including brace of rare vintage Lancia Dilambdas one of them built for The Maharaja of Mysore in 1929.

No Horsham Piazza Italia is complete without event friends, The ItalianJob.Com, a charity for whom 2019 is a very special year. This is the charity’s 30^th Anniversary, the 60^th anniversary of the first Mini and the 50^th Anniversary of the iconic first film. ‘The Jobbers’ who rally to or from Italy every year have raised over £2.5 million since 1990 for children’s causes, will bring their special brand of Mini mayhem to the Bishopric with parades through Carfax on the way in and out. The organisers are delighted that Horsham’s new Everyman cinema in Piries Place have chosen to support the ‘jobbers’ with special screenings of the original film on Good Friday and Easter Monday afternoons.

What’s on Easter Monday

On Easter Monday, Premier GT are taking their involvement in Piazza Italia to the next level by booking in cars for every display location, East Street, Market Square, Bishopric and the Carfax as well as their own Parkside Race Paddock. A real first for Horsham, this eclectic mix of top car talent will make for a very exciting display.

Aside from showcasing some of the most amazing cars of the day, a handful of hyper cars are promised at The Parkside Race Paddock (next to the Black Jug Pub), the area will have a simulator driving competition and electric go-karts for kids.

Charities

Horsham Piazza Italia always supports a number of charities through collections, activities and awareness building and 2019 is no exception, with five charities involved. Chestnut Tree House Children’s Hospice (Collecting Friday), SERV Sussex (Collecting Monday), The Children’s Trust promoting their 1 June Goodwood supercar event (Market Square Monday), The Italian Job.com (Friday) and Horsham Rotary Easter Bunny Hunt Trail and Slot car racing in Swan Walk (all Easter weekend).

With thanks to our sponsors & partners:

Horsham Piazza Italia

Premier GT
Bishops Alfa Romeo
Bunny Motors
Kwik Fit
Horsham District Year Of Culture 2019
Horsham Churches Together
Horsham General Market
Horsham markets by Food Rocks
Giovanni Food & Wine
Italia in Piazza
The Italian Job .COM
The Supercar Event (Children’s Trust)
SERV Sussex
Sussex Safer Roads Partnership
Sporting Bears Motor Club
Chestnut Tree House
ETMS Highways
MJ Events
Rotary Club of Horsham
ML Pleasure Fairs