Italian festivals can be found throughout the entire United States. Here we will take a look at the oldest and biggest Italian festival in New York City - The San Gennaro Feast.
This year will mark the 82nd anniversary of this popular. entertaining and renowned Italian festival, located in the Little Italy area of New York City. The Feast usually runs from the middle to the end of September. Over 300 Vendors bring their goods to the San Gennaro Feast and there are over 35 indoor and outdoor dining areas. Besides the great food, such as sausage and peppers, cannolis and, of course, zeppoles, you can experience the magic of great Italian and popular music genres through numerous live performances that are free of charge and held throughout the 11 days of the festival.
Guests of the Feast are also encouraged to attend the parades or processionals in which the statue of San Gennaro is marched through the streets of Little Italy. This year's celebration kicks off with the annual Cannoli eating competition and an evening of Neapolitan music. The next day, festival goers can honor the victims of 9/11 during a Patriotic Vocal Tribute that will be held at 6:00 PM at the Performance Stage, located one block east of Mulberry Street, at the northwest corner of Grand and Mott Streets.
Some fun highlights of the Festival include:
- Blessing of the vendor stands by priests.
- Pizza Eating Contest
- Live radio broadcasts from the stage throughout the 11 days of the festival including FM 101.1, Fresh 102.7 fm and 92.3 NOW FM
- Stage performances by Just Friends (doo wop), Johnny & the Raybands (classic rock), Sound Affair (pop rock), The Tercels (50s, 60s & 70s classic rock) and many more talented bands and performers.
So if your budget puts travel to Italy out of reach, take a trip to Little Italy instead and enjoy a great opportunity to experience Italian-American culture. For additional information online, see San Gennaro Feast.