The 11-day Feast of San Gennaro is your chance to check out Little Italy’s best restaurants. The festival honors the patron saint of Naples and is probably the most famous American-Italian festival in the City. The feast day is September 19 in the Roman Catholic calendar, so the celebration usually takes place in the second half of September. The Feast of San Gennaro draws locals and tourists alike to experience the festive atmosphere and indulge in delicious Italian cuisine.
San Gennaro Festival NYC Hours and Schedule
The grand celebration kicks off with the Blessing of the Stands on Thursday, May 12, at 6 pm and lasts about an hour. The major highlight of the festival is the Grand Procession of the statue of San Gennaro. The Procession starts at 2 pm on the last Saturday of the feast, after a special Mass at the Church of the Most Precious Blood. The candlelit Procession takes the statue from the church through the streets of Little Italy.
The feast also features the traditional Italian-American street fair along Mulberry Street, serving some of the most excellent Italian food in NYC, like cannoli, sausages, zeppole, fried dough, torrone cookies, and sausage-and-pepper sandwiches. Don't miss pizza- and-cannoli-eating contests. Also be ready for cooking demonstrations from local chefs and lots of traditional live music. Don't miss the Antique Cars exhibition and Red Mike Festival Band; the event is worth seeing. Additionally, there are live cooking demonstrations, wine tastings, and various cultural performances celebrating Italian heritage and traditions.
The Solemn High Mass celebrating the patron Saint of Naples will take place on Thursday, September 19, from 6 pm to 8 pm. Festival guests must visit the Church of the Most Precious Blood to observe the religious procession with the Statue of San Gennaro.
Location
The Feast of San Gennaro runs on Mulberry Street (Little Italy) between Canal and Houston, on Hester between Baxter Street and Center Street, and Grand between Baxter Street and Center Market Place.
Feast of San Gennaro History
When Italian immigrants settled in Manhattan's Lower East Side at the turn of the 20th century, each region settled on a specific street. And the Neapolitan community began to populate Mulberry St.
Wanting to preserve Neapolitan traditions, the residents of the street decided to organize a one-day party in honor of their patron and protector of Naples, San Gennaro. Neapolitans seek his intercession to safeguard them from fires, earthquakes, plagues, droughts, and the eruption of Mount Vesuvius. Saint Gennaro is revered as their steadfast protector and all-encompassing aid in times of crisis. The festival, which was started in 1926, has continued to take place every year and has become an iconic event for all of New York. This event later grew into an 11-day event that spanned 11 blocks of Little Italy.
