Feast of San Gennaro
Here’s another post from Customer Service Agent Michele on one of her favorite travel memories!
A can’t miss event in the Little Italy section of New York City is the 86th annual Feast of San Gennaro, which will take place from September 13th through 23rd. This festival celebrates the spirit and faith of the Italian immigrants who began settling in this area in the 1920’s, honoring the patron saint of Naples.
There are parades, religious processions, games, musical entertainment including Italian folk music and opera, as well as more than 300 street vendors and 35 Italian restaurants that participate. Opening day begins with the cannoli eating competition, with pizza and pasta eating competitions the following week. The performance stage on Grand and Mott Streets features concerts and radio broadcasts in the evenings and cooking demonstrations, food and wine tastings daily from 2 to 4 PM. (Read more about schedule and activities here!)
Growing up in the northeast, my family made their annual pilgrimage for an eat fest that rivaled my Nonna’s at Christmas. We began with sausage and pepper subs, worked our way through the pizza and pasta while still managing to leave enough room for the zeppoles (fried dough dusted with powdered sugar) and making a stop at Ferrara’s Bakery on Grand Street for cannolis (flaky fried pastry filled with sweet ricotta cream filling)to go. If we were lucky enough to go back for a second day, we couldn’t leave without going to Umberto’s Clam House on Mulberry Street for baked clams and linguine with clam sauce. What can I say – Italians dream about food! Although I no longer live in the northeast, every time I cook sausage and peppers for my family it brings me back to my childhood and fond memories of the Feast of San Gennaro.
The festival takes place on Mulberry, Hester and Grand Streets, from 11:30 am to 11:30 pm and stays open until midnight on Fridays and Saturdays.
