Hold on to your cannolis! The 99th Annual Feast of San Gennaro Festival returns to the neighborhood of Little Italy, Manhattan on Thursday, Sept. 11 through Sunday, Sept. 21.
The festival celebrates the life of the patron saint of Naples and Bishop of Beneveto, Italy, Saint San Gennaro, who was martyred in 305 AD, and will commence with food, live entertainment, and other activities celebrating Italian culture.
What once started as a simple event to celebrate Italian culture at the turn of the 20th century has grown into a prosperous celebration of heritage reaching over 11 blocks.
The main events of the festival will begin with the Blessing of the Strands on Thursday, Sept. 11 at 6 p.m. The Blessing of the Strands is when a Parish Priest blesses all the festival’s shops, vendors, merchants, and restaurants for a prosperous and successful festival. The second main event will include the Grand Procession on Saturday, Sept. 13 at 2 p.m. that will include floats, celebrities, and a gondola.
The Grand Marshal for this year’s festival Grand Procession will be Italian American actor and comedian, Joe Piscopo. As a former cast member of the late-night comedy sketch show Saturday Night Live, the actor has grown to national acclaim with his comedic personality, starring in movies such as Johnny Dangerously and Wise Guys.
Festival organizers say Piscopo embodies San Gennaro through “faith, family, food, and Italian pride,” according to the event’s website.
The festival concludes with a mass at the Church of the Most Precious Blood to celebrate the feast day of Saint San Gennaro on Friday, Sept. 19 at 6 p.m. The mass will include a procession of the statue of Saint San Gennaro which is housed in the church and will be processioned through the streets of Little Italy. The statue will remain on display for the entirety of the festival.
There will be other events throughout the 11-day festival such as the return of last year’s featured musical act, NYC-based musical ensemble Jessa V & Band (known for combining Italian pop-opera, indie and jazz), a night of Opera, and an evening of karaoke with DJ Bobby.
In 1926, Italian immigrants who came from Naples settled in the Lower East Side of Manhattan on Mulberry Street. To preserve their traditions, Neapolitans decided to hold a one-day block party in honor of their patron saint, which continued decade after decade. In the present, the festival continues with its traditions of honoring Saint San Gennaro and representing its ancestors and culture. The festival is located on Mulberry Street, with some other festivities taking place in Hester Street and Grand Street.
Last year’s festivities included Jessa V & Band, as well as attractions such as, Italian-born singer Angelo Venuto, known for his remakes of “L’Italiano” and Sweet Caroline, and other acts,along with unlimited food options from pop-up stands serving Italian favorites, including sausage and peppers, zeppoles, cannolis, and other crowd favorites. The festival last year also included eating competitions that occurred throughout the event in which contestants ate more than 30 cannolis in six minutes, according to the Untapped Cities website.
More information on this year’s Feast of San Gennaro festival can be found online at sangennaronyc.org.
