For the lovers of all things Italian {think food + culture} prepare yourselves as the St. Ann’s Feast and Festival is back again. This year, from Wednesday, July 24th to Sunday, July 28th, enjoy pizza, zeppoles, games, and so much more. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know about the St. Ann’s Feast and Festival this year — as well as the full schedule of events.
The Details
{Photo credit: Will Ferman}
From July 24th to July 28th, Hoboken’s St. Ann’s Church at 704 Jefferson Street will be hosting + celebrating the annual festival filled with fried ravs, mutz, and of course — zeppoles. This will be the 109th year St. Ann’s and the 2019 schedule goes as follows:
- Wednesday, July 24th: Festivities from 6:00PM-11:00PM
- Thursday, July 25th: Festivities from 6:00PM-11:00PM
- Friday, July 26th: Mass at 11:00AM and festivities from 1:00PM-11:00PM
- Saturday, July 27th: Festivities from 1:00PM-11:00PM
- Sunday, July 28th: Festivities from 1:00PM-11:00PM
The location is essentially 7th Street with Jefferson + Madison Streets in Hoboken, also sectioned off {so plan accordingly if you’re driving — traffic + parking may be tough}.
{Photo credit: Will Ferman}
While there, guests can enjoy a variety of foods, crafts, a beer garden, kids’ rides, and a cafe under the stars.
The History
Although St. Ann’s is quite the exciting day in the Mile Square, its origins are deeply rooted in Hoboken’s history.
In the late 1800s + early 1900s, many Italians immigrated to Hoboken from San Giacomo, a province of Salerno, Italy, with the hope of creating better lives. After officially calling the Mile Square home, the San Giacomese Hobokenites found a way to keep their traditions + culture alive by establishing the St. Ann’s society. This society consisted of a number of these immigrants that worked to encourage the values of their village back in Italy.
See More: The History Behind St. Ann’s Feast and Festival
As more and more people learned about the society, its numbers grew exponentially. Then, in 1900 the St. Ann’s parish was officially established. The parish’s priests held services in a storefront on Adams.
Eventually, the parish expanded and with the dream of opening a church + rectory, the parish bought property on 7th and Jefferson where the first stone of what would become St. Ann’s Church was laid on November 1st 1903. Fast forward to December 12th, 1905, and the church officially opened its doors.
To celebrate the completion of the church, the St. Ann’s society held a festa {feast} to honor St. Ann and the San Giacomese traditions that got them started. Unfortunately, they had to raise funds for the festival, so society members went door to door to raise money.
Read More: Augustino’s: Hoboken’s Legendary Italian Restaurant
Fast forward to July 1910 and the funds had been raised and the celebrations got to be two-fold — there was enough money to have the feast of St. Giacomo and the St. Ann’s Fest. Today, this is what is known as the epic St. Ann’s Feast and Festival across the Mile Square.
To Volunteer
This event is in need of volunteers. If you’re interested in volunteering in all the St. Ann’s festivities + fun, fill out the form here.
What to Expect This Year
{Photo credit: Facebook}
As per tradition, festival-goers can expect Italian food galore, live music performances, and lots of traffic around 7th and Jefferson in Hoboken.
If it weren’t for the San Giacomo making their way to this riverside city over a century ago, what is today one of the biggest festivals in the Mile Square would never have existed. For more information about the event, check out the St. Ann’s Festival Facebook page here.
Mangiamo!
Are you planning to go to the St. Ann’s Fest this year? Let us know in the comments!
