Each year since Ryder was a baby, we have gone to the Feast Of San Gennaro. I remember late summer days and evenings at the feast when I went with my parents as a child, and later in my collage days, so it’s become important for us to take the kids, and not to mention, it’s tons of fun. This year, it begins on September 14th and runs through the 24th!
Origin
Originally started as a one day celebration to commemorate Saint Januarius, the Patron Saint of Naples, this year marked the festival’s 90th anniversary. Nowadays the feast lasts 11 days on the charming streets of Little Italy. This neighborhood served as the first home to many thousand of Italian immigrants, for their first days and years in America.
Location
Taking place on Mulberry Street, between Canal and Houston Streets, street vendors set up selling anything and everything, including food, games and souvenirs. During the feast’s run, the local restaurants basically extend their seating into the streets, allowing patrons to eat and drink as they sit right in the middle of all the fun.
Games
Packed with tourists and New Yorkers from all around, the streets are crowded and crazy at times, so we try to make our way there on a weekday, early in the evening to avoid the rush. Ryder, Siella, and Gemma look forward to the games, the rides, and of course the food.
Food
Any festival wouldn’t be complete without some zeppoles. They may be deep fried and covered with powder sugar, but these little dough balls are delicious, especially if they are right out of the frier. Jason and I always split a hot sausage and pepper hero. For some reason it always tastes better at this feast, than anywhere else. And it’s actually the only time I eat them.
Festival
While playing some of the many games, we won two goldfish! Not sure, but I might have been a bit more excited then the kids were about it. For me, taking a cute little fish home is way more fun than a bunch of stuffed animals, but after 10 or 15 games, we were overloaded with plenty of stuffed goodies to go along with our fishy.
The Energy
The energy in the city is always a bit more apparent around this time of year, as there’s just so much to do yet, so little time. The month so far has been crazy getting acclimated to new school schedules. Regardless of how busy we get, there is always time to some fun at the San Gennaro Feast. Make sure to check it out!
This post was originally published September 26th, 2016*
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17 thoughts on “A Night At The Feast”
That sounds like so much fun! It looks almost like the city version of a county fair. Love it!
What a great time and cool family tradition!
This looks like a fun festival. I can’t believe it has been round for 90 years!
That looks like an amazing festival! I would love to bring my kids here one year.
You have a beautiful family! Being that my mom is Brooklyn born, I grew up hearing stories about the feast. We have one here in Las Vegas, but it is not even close to the NY original.
Awwww everyone is so cute and it looks like all the kids and the rest of the family had a wonderful time. Love family memories like these.
That looks like an amazing festival! Sounds like such a fun tradition for your family! How cool that you shared the experience with your parents and now you’re sharing it with your kids!
That looks like a lot of fun. We have similar festivals here where we live. They aren’t quite this grand, but they are a lot of fun.
The Feast looks like a total blast. I can see why your family makes a tradition out of going!
That looks like such a fun festival! I love festivals and especially the food, there’s just something about that kind of food that doesn’t quite taste like any other! Looks like y’all had a great time!
Wow looks like such a fun festival! I love things like this, we have them in Toronto but not quite this big! Looks like you guys had a lot of fun!
I love that attending the feast of San Gennaro has turned out to be a tradition for your family. I hope this event goes on for a long time so your kids can take their kids too. Fun family moments you had there for sure.
What a great way to spend some quality family time. I love the rides, the food and especially the games. Looks like so much fun.
Looks a fun festival! I want to try to go in these kind of event
Wow, this is so lovely. Love to go there, looks like loaded with tons of fun.
This makes me miss New York more! I think it’s awesome that you go every year, it’s a lovely tradition and you get to make memories with the kids along the way. It’s always nice to have fun and just take a break with the kids amidst being busy!
The place and event looks great, you guys look fantastic and happy about your experience there! Whenever there’s something going on related to Italy’s people and history, you’d know you’re in for a treat!