LITTLE ITALY IN THE BIG APPLE
Feast of San Gennaro

This year's 80th annual Feast of San Gennaro, New York City's oldest and biggest religious festival, brings more than a million people to the streets of Little Italy in honor of this Patron Saint of Naples. The 11-day event, open to all ethnic and racial backgrounds, features live entertainment and plenty of Italian cuisine, anchored by a religious procession on Saint's Day on September 19. More than 35 of Little Italy's most famous restaurants and 100 street vendors will offer specialty Italian foods, souvenir items and boutique merchandise, and carnival rides and arcade activities will be available for families to enjoy.

Two parades honoring the statue of San Gennaro will take place on September 15 and 22, with a celebratory mass and religious procession at The Most Precious Blood Church taking place on September 19. And to top it all off, on September 14 hungry competitors will take the stage for the 4th annual Cannoli Eating Contest for a chance to be crowned as the World's Champion Cannoli Eater. Take the gun, eat the cannoli!

For more events, see our New York What's Going On page.