> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.newbostonpost.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Two More Chances To Enjoy North End Feast Season Before Summer Ends - URL: https://www.newbostonpost.com/north-end-feast-boston/ - Published: 2026-08-18T10:00:45.000Z - Updated: 2026-08-18T10:00:44.000Z - Description: Boston’s North End feast season is entering its final stretch, but there are still two celebrations left on the calendar. - Author: Abigail Hawthorne - Tags: Blogs, boston Boston’s North End feast season is entering its final stretch, but there are still two celebrations left on the calendar. The San Gennaro Feast takes place Friday, August 21 through Sunday, August 23, followed by the 107th annual Saint Anthony’s Feast and 105th Feast of Saint Lucy from Thursday, August 27 through Sunday, August 30. Both are free to attend and offer visitors a chance to experience the food, music, faith, and Italian-American traditions that have defined North End summers for generations. ## **San Gennaro Feast: August 21-23** The first of the two remaining celebrations is the San Gennaro Feast, centered around the Paul Revere Mall — better known as The Prado — along Hanover Street. San Gennaro, or Saint Januarius, is the patron saint of Naples. Boston’s celebration combines that religious and cultural tradition with three days of food, live music, dancing, and neighborhood festivities. The feast officially opens at 4 p.m. Friday, August 21\. DJ Steven Virgilio will provide music throughout the evening, followed by Dr. K’s Motown Revue from 8 to 10:30 p.m. The feast closes at 11 p.m. Entertainment begins at noon Saturday. Steven Virgilio returns during the afternoon, followed by live entertainment from 5 to 7:30 p.m. Russell Thompkins Jr. and The New Stylistics are scheduled to perform from 8:30 to 10 p.m. Saturday’s celebration ends at 11 p.m. The feast continues from noon to 10 p.m. Sunday, August 23, with a day focused on tradition, food, music, and community. Additional Sunday programming had not yet been announced as of publication. Visitors can expect North End restaurants and vendors serving Italian favorites, including sausage and peppers, pizza, pasta, fried dough, cannoli, arancini, and other street-festival staples. The official schedule is available through the [San Gennaro Boston web site](https://sangennaroboston.org/?ref=newbostonpost.com)⁠ . ## **Saint Anthony’s Feast: August 27-30** The following weekend brings what is traditionally the grand finale of North End feast season. Saint Anthony’s Feast began in Boston in 1919, when immigrants from Montefalcione, Italy brought their devotion to Saint Anthony of Padua to their new neighborhood. Today, it is the largest Italian religious festival in New England and is commonly called the “Feast of All Feasts.” The celebration takes place primarily along Endicott, Thacher, and North Margin streets. The weekend begins at 5 p.m. Thursday, August 27 with the opening of the vendors and the procession honoring Saint Lucy, the patron saint of eyesight. The 12 Barz Band performs at 6:30 p.m., and the feast closes at 10 p.m. The feast reopens at 11 a.m. Friday. The traditional opening ceremony for Saint Anthony begins at 7 p.m., when society members carry the statue from its indoor chapel to the outdoor shrine. Billy D and The Rock-Its perform beginning at 7:15 p.m. Saturday includes public veneration of the relics of Saint Anthony beginning at 9 a.m., followed by the opening of vendors at 11 a.m. An outdoor Mass takes place on the main stage at 5 p.m. A blessing with the relics of Saint Anthony and Saint Lucy follows at 5:45 p.m., along with the distribution of blessed Saint Anthony bread. The Benvenuti Parade begins at 6 p.m. Saturday, accompanied by bands and live music. ## **The Grand Procession** The defining moment of the weekend comes Sunday, August 30. An Italian-language Mass begins at 10:30 a.m. at Saint Leonard of Port Maurice Church at 320 Hanover Street. The feast vendors open at 11 a.m., and the Grand Procession of Saint Anthony begins around noon from the outdoor chapel on Endicott Street. Eight men at a time carry the statue through the narrow streets of the North End during a procession that lasts approximately 10 hours. Marching bands, drum and bugle corps, society members, neighborhood families, and thousands of visitors follow along or watch from sidewalks, windows, and balconies. As the statue passes, devotees pin dollar bills and other donations to ribbons surrounding Saint Anthony. Some make the offering in gratitude for a prayer they believe was answered. Others do it in memory of a loved one or while asking the saint’s intercession. By the end of the procession, Saint Anthony and the ribbons surrounding him are often covered with money. The feast features nearly 100 vendors, live entertainment, cooking demonstrations, the Regina Pizzeria Open Air Piazza, and traditional Italian and American food. Visitors should carry some cash because not every vendor accepts credit cards. Admission and entertainment are free. The organizers also advise visitors that outside bags, beverages, and containers are not permitted inside the feast area. The complete program is available on the [official Saint Anthony’s Feast schedule](https://www.stanthonysfeast.com/schedule.html?ref=newbostonpost.com)⁠ . ## **Getting There** Public transportation is generally the easiest option because North End streets become crowded and several roads may be closed or difficult to navigate during the feasts. The Haymarket MBTA station, served by the Orange and Green lines, is a short walk from Hanover Street and both feast areas. North Station is approximately a 10-minute walk away and provides access to the Green Line, Orange Line, and commuter rail. Visitors coming from the Blue Line can exit at Aquarium and walk across the Rose Kennedy Greenway into the North End. ## **Where To Park** Those who drive should avoid looking for street parking inside the North End. Resident-only restrictions, temporary street closures, and heavy pedestrian traffic make it an unlikely proposition during feast weekends. Haymarket Garage at 136 Blackstone Street is one of the closest and most convenient options. It is open 24 hours a day and has an entrance and exit on Sudbury Street. Its posted weekend rate is currently $16 for stays longer than 90 minutes, provided the vehicle leaves by 5 a.m. [Current rates are available here](https://www.pilgrimparking.com/boston-parking-garages/haymarket-garage?ref=newbostonpost.com)⁠ . Boston Public Market also offers a $3 rate for up to three hours at Haymarket Garage with validation following a purchase from a participating market vendor. Anyone planning to use the discount should get the parking ticket validated before leaving the market. Staying beyond three hours may trigger the garage’s regular rates. Allow extra time, wear comfortable shoes, bring cash, and arrive early — particularly for Saint Anthony’s Sunday procession. The streets will be crowded, the lines will be long, and the smell of sausage, peppers, pizza, and fried dough will be almost impossible to resist. For anyone who has not made it to a North End feast this summer, these are the final two opportunities.