Italian Feast Coming To Town

Are you still on the St. Ann's Feast high? Well, get ready for another celebration of Italian heritage in the Mile Square. 

The 84th annual celebration will take place in Sinatra Park from Sept. 9 through Sept. 12. The festival is open from 5 to 11 p.m. on the 9th and the 10th, and from noon to 11 p.m. on the 11th and 12th. 

Admissions is free. 

Every year, thousands visit the Festival to sample a variety of Italian delicacies, enjoy live music and entertainment—including the popular pizza and cannoli eating contests and grape stomping competition—rides, and spectacular fireworks display. 

Yet, it is certainly the grand religious celebration, pageantry and tradition of honoring the Madonna Dei Martiri that defines the event.

The origins of the Festival date back over 600 years to a 1399 Street Festival in the small Adriatic town of Molfetta, Italy. Today, thanks to the efforts of a group of men committed to honoring their patron saint, the Feast continues in grand historical tradition in Hoboken.  A day-long procession through the streets of Hoboken includes a reenactment of the "Blessing of the Fleet" in the Hudson River.  

Since Molfetta is a coastal town, the tradition of traversing the river stems from honoring the Madonna by local fishermen. The original feast celebrated the Madonna with parishioners carrying the statue into a boat and sailing out into the harbor, where a small armada of fishing boats would herald her arrival with ringing bells and blaring sirens. In Hoboken, the 800-pound statue of the Madonna is carefully carried onto a ship to cruise the Hudson River, emulating the centuries-old celebration. 

For the festival's schedule, visit www.hobokenitalianfeast.com