The purposes of Vandergrift Festa Italiano are to:

provide the Vandergrift area community with a festival which celebrates the Italian-American heritage through the culture, values and assimilation of the Italian immigrants into America

expand the historical understanding of the Italians immigrating to the United States in the early 1900's and the struggle of the immigrants upon arriving in this country to begin a new life in a culture where many did not speak the language (by focusing on education, historical compilation and community association).