St Anthony’s Feast

Absolutely fantastic festival in the Little Italy section of Boston. This festival made me feel like I was in the middle of THE GODFATHER 3 movie, all that was missing was the mob shot out scene with Andy Garcia on horseback.
The food was outstanding, however the sausage & peppers were beyond delicious. Grilled to perfection with a touch of burning to it. Just the way FRANK enjoy them. Keep an open mind and try everything its very authentic Italian.
Make sure you you pin some money on the statue before you leave, or God will punish you. Or take a tums because you may be full from over eating.

What an amazing food festival. Delicious Italian foods galore! Came here with a couple of friends and had an amazing time. It is about a 10 minute walk from the Haymarket stop on the Orange line.
You will find anything from delicious desserts such as fried dough (like funnel cake except the dough is not drawn out), to ridiculously good homemade Italian food to spicy sausages. The prices aren’t actually that bad either! I know on Unilocal,it says $$ but really, you can get full for less than 10 dollars. And I mean really, really full.
I just wished each vendor sold smaller portions for less money. I would totally be down to pay $ 3 – 4 for smaller portions if it meant I would have more room in my stomach to try other food.
I had the spicy italian sausage with onions and peppers and the thing was literally 2lbs. I was extremely full after eating it.
As someone who recently moved to Boston, I think it’s an excellent festival to indulge in and experience Little Italy to the fullest.
Just be aware of the vendors selling «brand name» clothing. They sell very good counterfeit items and claim that they are the real deal. If you’re going to buy something from them, be sure to compare the item to a picture online… especially the stitchings.

Probably the best cultural festivals I have EVER been too. The atmosphere is just as amazing as the food and the music! Please go if you get the chance! In my opinion, St. Anthony’s Feast is the Italian American MECCA in the United States!

GO! You really should make an effort to go here, it is an experience and a good one at that. If you really like Italian culture and food this will be a true delight!

I love the feast. I live in SC, and I make it a point to come to the St. Anthony’s feast every year. I get that everything is overpriced, but it’s just so much better than anything I can get in SC, so I’m more than happy to pay extra for quality.
When I get rich and famous, I’m going to hire those rice ball guys & the Pizzeria Regina people to cook for me in my home. Then I’ll probably have my on en-​suite liposuction room because I’ll gain 1,000 pounds but it will be WORTH IT.

Having a last name that begins and ends in a vowel i do feel right at home when I make the voyage back to the old country aka the North End for «The Feast.» Great food, fun games, always a t-​shirt of some kind to buy announcing to everyone how Italian you are. Well I can only claim half as being Sicilian but again all of the vowels in my last name allow me to say prosciutt, manicott, mortadell. You get the picture. There still exists the pinky ring and gold lame’ crowd which always makes me giggle just a tad but I’m glad they are still around.
Fugetaboutit!

I’ve lived in Boston for years now and just went to St. Anthony’s feast this past weekend! What a lively event!
**Keep in mind that food is definitely over priced (probably everything is for that matter). not a problem though, since you’re paying for the environment as well.
** CROWDED is an understatement… oh my goodness, be ready to get friendly! haha!

Love!!! ST, Anthony’s feast in the north end on Hanover St.
Crazy fun !!! travel back in time but it’s so fun, sausage pepper and onions !!! Yum best there is, frozen strawberry and chocolate on a stick to die for !!!
It’s a little sneak peek to what it’s like in italy so nice !!;)
I try to go every year come check it out !!!

A great family tradition, have been going for years. I’m glad they rescheduled this year’s festival because of the hurricane. Looking forward to going this weekend. Love the arancini, my favorite; and my husband looks forward to the ‘chocolate covered banana’ guy.

One of my favorite feasts in the North End during the summer months.
Streets closed off, live music, happy people, great restaurants to choose from. My favorite Boston event by far.

How can you not love St. Anthony’s Feast? You don’t even have to be Italian. Just pretend you are.
Luckily I am. Whatever you do. don’t eat before you go. Go with a complete empty stomach and make sure you have plenty of «TUMS» on hand.
«Pace Yourself»…because you’re going to want to eat everything you see! It’s so fun here! You must have an «arancini». Don’t know what it is. RICE ITALIAN HEAVEN!!!
I think I’m the only Italian on earth who doesn’t like canoli’s so I“ll pass on those. but, they always have tons of other desserts including gelato and Italian ice!
I’d go around 5 – 6 p.m. and stay until dark! That’d be the best time to go!!!

The toasted raviollis is my favorite. I don’t know why they advertise this as going on thru Monday. By Monday all the local places have shut down. Go Early, beat the crowds.

I wish I had more room in my stomach so that I could have eaten more at this festival.
Being new to the area, I didn’t really know what to expect when my fiancé and I decided to venture out. If you want any type of Italian food this is the festival to go to. It is also a great place to find a wide array of fried foods. We went with a group and I can’t say that it is a very good idea… it gets pretty crowded.
Will definitely try and make it next year!

Who can say a bad thing about the Feast. It’s a neighborhood tradition that is timeless. Maybe to some today this seems hoakie, but to many it goes beyond tradition to their roots and religious convictions.
All that aside, it’s a fun night out in a neighborhood that has always been a tight community. Walk around with your family or date and sample some Italian fare. Anything from calamari to canoli, eggplant to Italian ice or gelato.
Fun night to people watch, from the elders to toddlers and teens. This is a great night out to get to sample the flavor of the North End as one of Boston’s unique traditional neighborhoods.

All the festivals are great — but Saint Anthony’s is the biggest and the most exciting.
There are parades every night, entertainment and great food everywhere!!!
arancini, cherrystones, trip, calamari, Pizza Regina even sets up outdoor seating and serves Peroni beer and wine!!!
It is the same every year year — but thats what tradition is all about!! Don’t miss it!

Hey you want to experience the mystical experience of déjà vu?
Go to St Anthony’s feast.
Then go five years later.
Whoa. It’s like time travel. Or it’s like I keep getting older, but it’s the same old crap. Yeah yeah, it’s fun crap. A day to eat pizza and watch old people play clarinet. Did I just see a ‘kiss my canolie’ T-​shirt? Gotta have it.

Yo, kiss da canoli, and shaddapa u face!
I never miss this festival each year in the North End, no matter where I am in the world. Nothing brings out the fun and tradition in Boston’s little Italy better than this annual 3-​day festival.
My ¹⁄₃ Sicilian roots always seem to surface in character, and when I see families roam the North End from stall to stall, sampling the various delectable canolis, Italian ice, pizza, pasta, and… teriyaki kabobs (I know… somehow it’s become part of the festivities), along with fundraisers for St Anthony, for St. Lucy (which follows the day after St Anthony), and the Northeast cheerleading squad (try not to stare boys), and the requisite fair booths to try your luck at the elusive giNORMous stuffed Sponge Bobs, it always brings me back to my younger days in Palermo.
And the music. Ah… the music. From the wandering brass bands, to the stage performers, to the random roaming minstrel accordian churning out «La Paloma» or «That’s Amore», the only bad thing about the festival, is having to leave.
Be SURE to find «the canoli girl», who only officially sets up shop this one time a year for 3 days. She has THE best cannolis at the festival (2 flavors, regular or chocolate). She and her sister have become a fixture here, and is as much a part of the tradition as the feast itself.
This feast has been celebrated since 1919, so if there was only 1 event you could attend to capture a bit of Bostonian and Italian American festive history, there is no other but St Anthony’s.