HOBOKEN, N.J. — The Hoboken Italian Festival marked its 100th anniversary Saturday with a waterfront celebration full of food, live entertainment, family activities and longtime traditions at Sinatra Park.

Saturday is known as Feast Day, a centerpiece of the four-day festival that brings together generations of families and visitors to celebrate Hoboken’s Italian American community.


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Festival goers spent the day browsing the many booths, enjoying Italian favorites and taking in the atmosphere along the Hudson River.

“We love pizza, sausages and it looks so delicious,” one attendee said.

For many families, the festival offers a chance to spend time together outdoors while celebrating a tradition they grew up with.

“Just to spend time with family and enjoy the outdoors,” one mother said.

The event honors Madonna dei Martiri, a beloved image of the Virgin Mary. Italian immigrants from Molfetta brought the feast tradition to Hoboken in 1927.

Feast Committee member Gregory Gallo said the weekend represents more than a celebration of Italian food and music.

“This is really the history of our country. We have so many immigrants that have come here and assimilated in our society,” Gallo said.

Author Jennifer Payne also shared that history with children during the festival. Payne read from her new children’s book, Sounds of America, which follows Paulie, a young boy arriving from Italy and discovering his new home through the people and sounds around him.


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“There’s a wide range to their reaction,” Payne said of the children listening to her story.

Payne said she placed the book in the 1920’s because it was a time when many immigrants from Italy were arriving in the United States, a period that connects with the festival’s history.

“I placed the book in 1926 because I think that was when there was a big influx from Italy and that too … happening with the festival,” Payne said.

Gallo said Feast Day gives people the opportunity to experience Italian culture firsthand.

“It’s an all Italian day so it’s probably the best day to enjoy a little more of the Italian culture here,” he said.

The festival continues Sunday with the NFL Experience, a performance by the Hoboken High School Marching Band and a closing performance from the Jersey Tenors. Saturday’s festivities wrapped up with a drone show over the Hudson River that started at 9 p.m.

For more information on the festival, click here.