INDEPENDENCE — This weekend, the town of Independence is celebrating its Sicilian heritage with an annual festival.

The annual Independence Sicilian Heritage Festival is held every second weekend in March, and brings together the community for three days of traditional Sicilian food, music and culture. 

The festival started life as the Little Italy Festival in the 1970s before transitioning to the Sicilian Heritage Festival nearly 20 years ago in honor of the Sicilian immigrants who settled in the region more than a century ago, with many of the immigrants attracted to Tangipahoa Parish for its rich farmland.

The festival runs from 4 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Friday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday and 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sunday. 

On Monday, National Meatball Day, festival entertainment chairman Jimmy Gregory and 2026 Sicilian Heritage Queen Caidence McKinney visited 2une In to celebrate the start of festival week!