Party at a North End street fest with St. Anthony’s Feast

The 104th annual feast honors the patron saint of Montefalcione, Italy.

St. Anthony’s Sunday night procession on Endicott Street. Courtesy of St. Anthony's Feast

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August is the season of street festivals in the North End, and the weekend of the 24th through the 27th will see the return of St. Anthony’s feast for four days of street food, live entertainment, and the procession of St. Anthony’s statue.

Begun in 1919 by Italian immigrants from the town of Montefalcione in Avellino, Italy, the feast pays homage to their patron saint, Sant’Antonio Di Padova Montefalcione. This year marks the 104th festival, and North End streets will be closed to car traffic to make way for parades, religious services, artisan vendors, live entertainment, and over 100 food vendors selling arancini, sausages with peppers and onion, quahogs, calamari, pizza, pasta, zeppole, cannoli, and gelato.

This year’s festival begins with opening ceremonies on Thursday evening, and weekend highlights include the Regina Pizzeria Open Air Piazza, the Filippo Berio Culinary Stage & Tasting Tent, live music each night, and an outdoor celebration of the Eucharist on Saturday at 5 p.m. The feast culminates on Sunday with a ten-hour procession of the statue of St. Anthony through the streets starting at noon and including a parade of Italian street bands, marching bands, and floats.

For more information about this year’s festival, check out the schedule here.