Aisling de Villa/ThePacePress

The smell of Italian sausage fills the air as passionate vendors yell out “We make the best!” and Italian flags wave above excited crowds flooding Mulberry Street. Every year, in New York City from Sep. 11-21, Little Italy’s streets transform into the San Gennaro Feast. The festival honors Italian food, ancestry and of course San Gennaro, the patron saint of Naples. 

The Feast of San Gennaro started in 1926, and it originally started off as a celebration for Italian immigrants to feel closer to home. However, it is now an 11 day festival with food and games for all, running from 11 a..m. to 11 p.m. on weekdays, and 11 a.m. to 12 a.m. on weekends.

Ciro, a vendor from Caffe Napoli, said the festival is “about San Gennaro, but for business, [it’s about the] food.” His stand’s most popular dessert is chocolate mousse, which costs $12. Ciro is from Naples, but states that the vendors in Little Italy are from all over.

Leilia Naman, a University freshman studying Arts and Entertainment Management, loves the festival. As someone who goes every year, she described it as “crowded [but] nostalgic.” 

“I’m Italian and Sicilian so it’s kind of just like a celebration of the culture,” Naman said. For her, the best food there is the sausage and peppers, although she noted that “you can always tell when [the food is] okay when there’s a clearly non-Italian person creating it.” 

For Mia Warren, a University senior studying political science, the feast is rooted in tradition. Warren works at the feast and explained how she has been involved for around seven years, helping family friends who have run the stand for generations. 

“I live on Mulberry so the festival happens on my block,” Warren said. 

“Every year there’s a parade and a whole procession [with] elders celebrating the saint… This year has been a bit slower than we’re typically used to, but normally we get thousands of people in a day, and we will sell out of everything and have to take pre orders,” Warren said.

She described the streets during the festival as “very lively,” and even pointed out how locals and tourists experience the event differently: “A lot of the locals sometimes come specifically just to see us, they really want our zepalis, [whereas] tourists kinda look happier.” What Warren loves most about the feast is the atmosphere. 

“I like seeing everyone scream their typical Italian songs every year, and the energy and loudness, and everyone’s dancing a lot, which honestly picks up the mood,” Warren concluded. “[The feast] is a fun experience that everyone should at least go to once.”

Little Italy’s San Gennaro Feast serves as a celebration of Italian heritage in one of the most diverse, bustling cities in the USA. Spanning across multiple blocks, it draws all different types of people in. Nearly a century later, the San Gennaro celebration remains strong.