There are plenty of street fairs in New York City. Most of them pop up out of nowhere and within a few hours are gone without a trace but hundreds of lemonade cups strewn across the avenue. San Gennaro is a little different. For some reason, this street fair stands out above the rest. Maybe it’s because it has been going on for 87 years or that it goes on for 11 days each fall. Maybe it’s because the Patron Saint of Naples is watching over the festival. But maybe it’s just because of the spirit of Little Italy or how the festival reflects decades of Italian-American history and heritage in New York. Although you have *just* missed it this year as its last day was Sunday, luckily you can enjoy Italy in New York all year round in the adorable ‘hood of Little Italy.

Some of the standard street fair fare (see what I did there) has invaded the San Gennaro festival over the years, but there are still Italian staples aplenty – cannolis, pizza, sausages, and more. In the event you get a chance to visit next year, I suggest you go splits-kies on a sausage sandwich with plenty of peppers and onions, a stick of fried pickles, a lemonade, italian ice, and a bag of fried Oreos – Italian because they are derived from Zeppole. I’m Ita-lia-n you, if you haven’t tried fried Oreos, you are missing out big time.

xx