An Authentic Italian Food & Culture Festival Is Taking Over Jersey City This Week
The street festival will continue through August 14.
Train your stomach to stretch a little extra this weekend. There's currently a major Italian food and culture street festival happening in Jersey City.
La Festa Italiana at Holy Rosary Church began on August 10, and it will continue through August 14. This year marks the 119th edition of the festival, which is an ode to Italian American culture in its entirety. Celebrating Italian immigrant history, the rich culinary heritage, and religious faith, La Festa Italiana is a heartwarming event open to everybody.
The event first debuted over 100 years ago and still draws a huge crowd today. Visitors can expect to find local restaurants and vendors setting up shop and selling authentic Italian delicacies (like zeppole, a traditional fried pastry), as well as live entertainment, games, and rides. On the last day of the event, a mass is celebrated and the statues of Our Lady the Assumption and of Saint Rocco are carried through the streets accompanied by a marching band. To end the day on a superlative note, organizers draw the winner of a Super 50/50 Cash Raffle. Make sure to participate: The average prize is usually over $10,000.
La Festa Italiana is located at 344 Sixth Street, Jersey City. You can head over to Jersey City's historic downtown to find it. Street parking is available in the area, or you can take the nearby PATH Train to Grove Street.
For more information and a full lineup of the events, you can visit La Festa Italiana's website.