The festival was born the day after the tragedy of September 11, 2001, to express closeness and solidarity with the American personnel at Aviano. On Saturday, September 8, the Italian-American Friendship Festival took place in Pordenone, announced with a special press conference at the City Hall on Saturday, September 1st. The event was organized by the Association of Honorary Commanders of Aviano with the support of the Aviano Air Base Command, the 31st Fighter Wing, the Provincial Fire Department Committee and the same Municipality of Pordenone.
Having reached its 17th edition, the Festival of Friendship was born the day after the tragedy of September 11, 2001, to express the local community’s closeness and solidarity with the American personnel stationed in Aviano, who have been present in the territory for over 60 years, and to commemorate the victims of terrorism.
Within the event, in addition to the official ceremonies and sporting tournaments between Italian and American participants, a series of aeronautical cultural events were organized by the Aviano Air Force Base Command.
In particular, the exhibition at the Cloister of the Municipal Library on aircraft and pilots of the Aviano Airport and the Aerocampo de ‘La Comina’ in Pordenone during the Great War, visited by hundreds of citizens; the exhibition at Piazzetta Calderari of the AMX fighter of the 3rd Aircraft Maintenance Department (RMV) of Treviso and, at the Loggia Palazzo Municipio, the historic aircraft Bleriot XI provided by the Jonathan Collection Foundation. The 2019 edition of the Festival will take place in the Municipality of Aviano.
The Aviano Airport has the mission of ensuring national sovereignty and overseeing the implementation of bilateral agreements regarding the presence of U.S. Air Force units deployed at the airport, supervising the flight and operational activities of the U.S. Air Force units deployed there, and ensuring the local defense of the Base.
