The “Festa dell’Emigrante” is an event held in different locations in Friuli Venezia Giulia, with the aim of celebrating and honoring Friulian emigration. This festival represents an opportunity to reconnect Friulian communities abroad with their roots and to promote solidarity and unity between those who have remained in the region and those who have sought their fortune elsewhere.

There are many small and large associations that are committed to this.

They organize activities throughout the region and at different times of the year. Generally, these are small and restricted celebrations between the various communities that populate the Friuli Venezia Giulia region. In fact, each reality identifies the period of the year in which most of its co-regionals abroad fall.

Celebrations may include: religious celebrations; meetings and conferences that address issues related to emigration, Friulian culture in the world and the challenges that emigrants can face; cultural performances: performances of music, dance, theatre or other forms of artistic expression that celebrate Friulian culture and may involve artists from the diaspora; Friulian food and wine tastings; the sharing of stories, testimonies and memories of Friulian emigrants, creating a link between generations and preserving the history of emigrant communities; recreational activities; awards and honors.

Among the seven associations involved in the theme of emigration, the following certainly stand out: the Ente Friuli nel Mondo, the Giuliani nel Mondo Association and the Union of Slovenian Emigrants of Friuli Venezia Giulia.

Ente Friuli nel Mondo was founded in 1953 at the request of the many emigrants who wanted to keep their roots in their homeland. It promotes in full autonomy the connections with the Friulians residing in the world and operates both with its own initiatives and with the contribution of over 160 member associations, generally established under the name of Fogolâr Furlan and with offices in all 5 continents. It therefore represents the more than 1 million Friulians scattered around the world, including second, third and even fourth generation children and grandchildren. Every year, the Association’s headquarters welcomes thousands of emigrants who return to the region to visit relatives and friends.

The Giuliani in the World Association: represents, since 1970, emigrants of Italian language, culture and nationality from the provinces of Trieste and Gorizia located in the north-eastern end of Italy, exiles from Istria, Rijeka, the Kvarner Islands and Dalmatia abandoned en masse following the Yugoslav occupation at the end of the Second World War, as well as their descendants born in other continents, other European countries and other regions in which they have been welcomed and in which they currently reside. They are represented in over 50 associations around the world, with over 10,000 members.

The Union of Slovene Emigrants of Friuli Venezia Giulia: Since 1968 it has been active to bring together and organize Slovenian emigrants from Friuli Venezia Giulia, recognized as fellow citizens abroad and effective members of the Slovenian minority in Italy. They are represented in over 30 locations and over 10,000 members.