The "Feast of All Feasts": Experiencing Faith and Tradition in Boston’s North End

It was termed the “Feast of all Feasts” by National Geographic Magazine. It is the largest Italian festival in New England. It is the final of a series of Italian festivals in the historic and largely Italian neighborhood of the North End of Boston. It is the Saint Anthony Feast on Endicott, Thacher and North Margin Streets and it has occurred every year for the past 107 years on the final weekend in August.

In 2014, I took a trip to Bar Harbor, Maine and planned a couple of days in the historic city of Boston on the return ride home to New Jersey. This was around the 20th of August that year. As I was approaching a visit to  the famous Old North Church, I came upon banners and signs for the upcoming Saint Anthony Feast. In fact, they were setting up the lights and other decorations in the area for the feast that was to occur on the following weekend. As a festival goer for many years in and around the New York City Metropolitan Area, this definitely caught my attention. Unfortunately, I could not make it back up to Boston on that following weekend, but I kept the image of the festival advertisements in my mind. The following year, the feast was still in my mind and I committed to myself that I was going - and I did. The authenticity and devotion to Saint Anthony of Padua that I saw in this community was nothing I ever witnessed at any other Italian festival in the United States. The cultural and religious aspects of this feast left me with a reassuring impression of the commitment to keep this tradition alive. As a result, I returned several times thereafter and even brought my parents for one year. My experience at this year’s feast was different in the sense that my respect for this community and these feast organizers was enhanced.

Saint Anthony Feast History

On a hilltop in the Province of Avellino, Italy - east of Naples - sits a small town called Montefalcione. Currently, the town has a population of about 3,200. In that town sits a 14th century structure that was converted into a sanctuary in the 18th century. This sanctuary is dedicated to the patron saint of Montefalcione - Saint Anthony of Padua. 

You may be wondering why Saint Anthony, who was Portuguese by birth and died in the northern Italian city of Padua, was named the patron saint of Montefalcione? In 1688, a devastating earthquake - called the Sannio Earthquake - struck the area of Avellino and Benevento. Montefalcione escaped this earthquake unscathed and attributed that to Saint Anthony of Padua. As a result, the people of Montefalcione developed a deep devotion to Saint Anthony and named him their patron in the second half of August in 1688. From that point, they would go on to celebrate a feast in honor of Saint Anthony and Saint Lucy on the last Sunday in August. The feast continues to this present day in Montefalcione. 

As discussed with my blog post on the East Harlem Giglio and other feasts, the devastating conditions - particularly in southern Italy - during the 19th and 20th centuries brought many Italian immigrants to the shores of the United States. A group of people from mostly Avellino, Sicily and the northern Italian city of Genoa settled the North End section of Boston. In 1919, a group of immigrants from Montefalcione brought their devotion of Saint Anthony to their new home in Boston in the same tradition of their Italian homeland. They brought the celebration to the North End on the final weekend in August, along with the coinciding Saint Lucy Feast. Over the years, it has become the largest and most successful Italian feast in New England. 

Saint Anthony Feast 2026

Friday, August 28

The feasts of Saint Anthony and Saint Lucy began on Thursday, August 27. At 5:00pm, the official opening of the feast began with a blessing and procession of the Saint Lucy statue. 

I arrived in Boston at around 1:00pm on Friday and checked into my hotel room. After stopping by the Sam Adams Downtown Boston Taproom at Faneuil Hall (the Cherry Wheat on tap is amazing), I walked through the famous Haymarket (held every Friday and Saturday) and to the North End. 

Once I got to Hanover Street, I walked right to the large statue of Paul Revere on a horse in front of the famous Old North Church. After doing a quick recording for my Instagram page (@anthonyontheave), I walked a few blocks down to the feast. Before I entered into the feast, I had to stop at the famous Regina Pizzeria for delicious thin crust pizza! (By the way, congratulations to Regina Pizzeria on 100 years serving the people and visitors of Boston!) After taking it all in, purchasing this year’s festival t-shirt, and smelling all the delicious food being cooked - I was now in a festival mood. 

The first procession of the gorgeous statue of Saint Anthony for this year’s feast began at 6pm on Friday. The statue is adorned with gold necklaces, rings, watches and other pieces of jewelry. As part of the devotion, people put some of their most sentimental jewelry on the saint. It is a way for them to offer a token in thanksgiving for an answered prayer or some kind of miraculous intervention. There are also ribbons descending from the statue where people pin their monetary donations. The saint is carried through the streets, typically with a color guard and band preceding the statue. The saint is then placed in a covered shrine where people can say a prayer and pin their donation. 

After walking around and talking to some people, I left the feast and went back to Hanover Street where I sat down at a nice restaurant called Aqua Pazza. I had two delicious appetizers: fried zucchini flowers and chips and dry roasted octopus with ginger and jalapeno crust purple potato. 

Saturday, August 29

After doing a jog around the Boston Common and then touring some historic places, I walked along the waterfront to grab some lunch at a fantastic seafood restaurant called the Daily Catch. There I had amazing raw cherry stone clams and a Sicilian baccala salad while watching the Red Sox-Yankees game. Following this delicious lunch, I found myself back at the feast. This time getting to know the vendors a little better. During the day, the feast was well attended. So well attended that it was a bit slow moving around. I saw many happy faces with anticipation of the rice balls, cannoli, gelato or sausage and pepper sandwiches that the festival goers were about to eat. 

Some of the vendors I visited were Wise Guys (@wiseguys_co), Fabrizia Spirits and Frigo Cheese. Honestly, there were so many vendors - it was hard to pick. Let’s start with Wise Guys. This company basically makes sandwiches, cannoli and other food and desserts for festivals. I stopped at one of their cannoli stands to have dessert first. The cannoli was excellent and you had the choice of various toppings. I chose chocolate on one end and pistachio on the other. Next, I decided to have a refreshing drink. Fabrizia Spirits did not disappoint. There, I had a frozen limoncello drink - although there were many different options including limoncello spritz! Fabrizia is located in Salem, New Hampshire and they make their products with Sicilian lemons. Finally, I stopped at Frigo Cheese, where there was a nonna cooking contest. The nonni were making all kinds of things from pasta fagiole to pasta alla norma and other gourmet Italian dishes. A chef was handing out the food to the spectators and an MC was walking around interviewing to see which food they liked the most. I was lucky enough to get the pasta alla norma, which was exceptional. 

As I was hanging around Frigo Cheese, I met Joe and his friend, Christina. Joe is on the St. Anthony Society and feast committee and Christina is on the St. Lucy Society. Both were very kind and Joe was gracious enough to be interviewed.  You can see that interview on my Instagram or Facebook page (@anthonyontheave). Joe talked about all the hard work that the Society does and the amount of planning that takes place to put this feast together. They actually start planning next year’s feast the day after the current year’s feast is over. A fantastic job by Joe and his fellow committee people on a very successful feast!

At 5:00pm, mass began on the outdoor stage. One of the aspects of this feast that I love is the close religious aspect of the feast. Not only the great devotion to Saint Anthony and Saint Lucy by processing their statues around, handing out holy cards and pins, but also the fact that a bishop and three other area priests offered holy mass on the stage outside. It was a beautiful mass and the bishop gave a great homily about the life of Saint Anthony and the devotion in Boston. They also had relics of Saint Anthony and Saint Lucy on the altar. Following mass, something extraordinary happened. The bishop blessed bread and lilies and members of the Saint Anthony and Saint Lucy Societies gave them out to the mass attendees. A true sign of gratitude and a sign of love for the people and their devotion. As an aside, blessed bread is typically given out on the actual feast day of Saint Anthony (June 13) in Italian parishes and neighborhoods. The lily is given out as a sign of Saint Anthony’s lifelong chastity and virtue.

Following mass, I walked around a bit longer, but the feast was packed with people. I headed back to Hanover Street as my Yankees were playing in game 2 of the doubleheader that day. I found a place called Artú Trattoria and sat down waiting to get a seat at the bar. I met two very nice people, Tiffany and John. John was wearing an Italian “azzurro” (color of the Italian soccer team) shirt with Red Sox adorned on it. But, we got along just fine. We chatted and when I got a seat, I ordered a very good dish of pasta amatriciana, which is a Roman speciality. My evening was completed after an espresso martini and a Yankees victory. Apparently, espresso martinis are quite the buzz in the North End - not so much the Yankees. 

I could not attend the feast on Sunday as I had to get back to New Jersey to celebrate my parents’ 50th wedding anniversary party! Before departing Beantown, I had to get to Modern Pastry to bring some cannoli to their party. I attempted to go the night before, but the line was out the door at 10:00pm! The cannoli and sfogliatelli were a hit!

Sunday, which is the final day of the Saint Anthony Feast, is always very special. While I could not attend this year, I have attended on the Sunday in the past. At 10:30am, there is an Italian mass at the beautiful Church of Saint Leonard, up the street from the festival. At 11:30am, the 10 hour procession of Saint Anthony begins with bands, colorguard and confetti. People who live in the apartments around the area of the feast adorn their windows with banners and flags. Some hang streams of money around Saint Anthony as a sign of devotion. Speeches are given by members of the Saint Anthony Society, while representatives of other feasts - such as the East Harlem Giglio - are in attendance. This all goes to show the level of love, devotion and respect that people from within and outside of Boston have for Saint Anthony and this particular feast.

Anthony On The Ave Takeaway

The bottom line is that this is my favorite feast for several reasons. First, I have a deep devotion to Saint Anthony. Second, this feast nails it with the culinary and Italian cultural experience that it provides, along with the religious aspects of the feast. The vendors are true-authentic Italian and mostly from the Boston and greater New England area. The entertainment is also on point with Italian music and other favorites that get people singing and dancing. Third, it is clear by meeting some of the Society members and hearing them speak, that they are truly passionate and professionals. They are responsible for raising the funds, preparing for and making this feast happen year after year. Finally, it's in the City of Boston, which is one of the oldest, cleanest, safest, historic and walkable cities in the United States. Boston is true Americana. The people are friendly, passionate and proud of their city. The food and drink are amazing and everybody seems jovial and fun. I just love the Boston vibe! 

Again, congratulations to the Saint Anthony and Saint Lucy Societies for a fantastic and memorable feast. Thank you for keeping the tradition alive and spreading the stories and devotion of Saint Anthony and Saint Lucy, as well as the Italian-American culture for this and future generations. I am very blessed for the ability to come and celebrate with you this year. I also am looking forward to attending again next year and for years to come. 

Buona Festa!