Annual San Gennaro Feast Returns to the North End on Sept. 5-7

Special to the Regional Review

The Saint Gennaro Foundation of Boston, founded by Frank DePasquale, Nick Varano, Angelo Vigliotta, and Pasquale Trotta, are bringing back the much-acclaimed San Gennaro Feast in Boston’s historic North End on Friday, September 5 through Sunday, September 7. Proceeds from San Gennaro Feast will benefit Autism Awareness. The San Gennaro Feast is returning this summer and features delicious food and drink from North End restaurants and vendors, live music and dancing, and culminates with a mass and procession with the statue of San Gennaro. The three-day feast will take place in the Paul Revere Mall on Hanover Street in the North End and will conclude on Sunday with aprocession of Saint Gennaro followed by an outdoor mass performed by the priests at St. Stephens.

There will be more than three dozen booths featuring North End restaurants that include: Strega, Bricco, My Mother’s Cutlets, Antico Forno, Prezza, Little Sage, Mother Anna’s, Cini, Forcella, Lucca and Giacomo’s. There will also be a Beer Garden, Espresso Martini Bar sponsored by DrinkThat Espresso Martini, dozens of North End restaurants, live DJs, raffles, and much more. The emcees for the weekend will be Magic 106.7 personality Kendra Petrone and Kiss 108 personality Gianna Gravelese. The feast is put on by the Saint Gennaro Foundation, which is a nonprofit foundation named for the patron saint of Naples, Italy. For more information, please visit: www.sangennaroboston.org

The schedule entails:

Friday, September 5: 5:00p- The Feast Opens to the public 6:00p- Magic 106.7 Personality Kendra Petrone welcomes guests 6:15p- Vinyl Groove performs 9:00p- Al McKay’s Earth, Wind and Fire Experience 11:00p- Feast closes for the night

Saturday, September 6: 12:00p- The Feast Opens to the Public 6:00p- Kiss 108 Personality Gianna Gravalese introduces performers 6:15-8:15- Angelina and the Unit 8:30-10:00p- Ruben Stoddard “My Tribute to Luther Vandross” 11:00p- The Feast closes for the night

Sunday, September 7: 12:00p- Outdoor Mass performed by the priests of Saint Stephens 1:00p- Procession of San Gennaro 3:00p- The Fenway Brats 6:00p- The Italian Connection Band 8:00p- 9:30p- The Miami Sound Review 11:00p- The feast concludes The Saint Gennaro Foundation of Boston is an IRS approved 501 C3 non-profit organization.

All current and future donations will be used to help autistic children. Our mission is to build a structure that houses an educational center that will comprise of about thirty furnished rooms, a cafeteria, a laundry, and a chapel for prayer. Outside will include a farm-like space with pets that serve as excellent therapy for children. This center will give hospitality to families who come from within and outside our region without means to take care of their children. That is the goal we have set ourselves and this we will do thanks to the generous support we have received. Autism Eats provides autism-friendly, non-judgmental environments for family dining, socializing and connecting with others who share similar joys and challenges. For more information, log onto www.autismeats.org. 

The A Voice For Mikey Autism Foundation, was founded by parents Michael Intoccia and Marilyn Zambrzycki in honor of their autistic son, Mikey. Mikey, who is now 6 years old, was diagnosed with autism at the age of 2.  While autism can manifest in many ways, Mikey’s autism is defined by speech apraxia and being non-verbal. This significantly impacts his ability to communicate and engage socially, amongst other challenges. Since his diagnosis, Mikey and his family have been blessed to have access to all of the avenues available to assist in his developmental growth.

They continually meet parents who struggle to afford the therapies, treatments, and opportunities that crucially benefit children like Mikey. To address this tremendous need of support, The A Voice For Mikey Autism Foundation has proudly partnered with the San Gennaro North End Feast to raise funds to provide vital therapies, education and physical care tools to families in need.