{"id":326851,"date":"2026-08-21T18:52:10","date_gmt":"2026-08-21T18:52:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/326851\/"},"modified":"2026-08-21T18:52:10","modified_gmt":"2026-08-21T18:52:10","slug":"santa-rosalia-feast-returns-to-bensonhurst-for-52nd-year-with-food-rides-and-sicilian-tradition-brooklyn-paper","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/326851\/","title":{"rendered":"Santa Rosalia Feast returns to Bensonhurst for 52nd year with food, rides and Sicilian tradition \u2022 Brooklyn Paper"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Live music and carnival rides greet festivalgoers on opening night, part of a tradition dating back to 1624 in Palermo, Sicily, when Santa Rosalia\u2019s relics were paraded through the streets to end a plague.<\/p>\n

Photo by Arthur de Gaeta<\/p>\n

Bensonhurst is ready to feast.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

The 52nd annual Feast of Santa Rosalia<\/a> makes its grand return to 18th Avenue, now through Aug. 30, bringing multiple nights of food, live music, entertainment and carnival rides to the neighborhood.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The celebration, also known as the 18th Avenue Feast, will take over the stretch of 18th Avenue \u2014 also known as Cristoforo Colombo Boulevard \u2014 between 68th and 75th streets. The annual event honors Santa Rosalia, the patron saint of Palermo, Sicily, and has become a summertime tradition for generations of Brooklyn families.<\/p>\n

The festival\u2019s 2026 celebration<\/a> continues a tradition that dates back centuries to Palermo. According to organizers, Santa Rosalia became associated with the end of a plague in Sicily in 1624 after her remains were discovered and carried through the streets in procession. The Bensonhurst feast brings that history to Brooklyn while adding the food, music and neighborhood revelry that have made the event a fixture on the borough\u2019s summer calendar.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\"\"The festival includes rides, food, entertainment and the famous Cannoli Eating Contest on Aug. 24.Photo by Paul Frangipane<\/p>\n

This year\u2019s festival will feature food, live music, entertainment and rides every night, giving visitors plenty of reasons to make their way down 18th Avenue throughout the celebration. The feast has traditionally offered everything from Italian specialties and sweets to other street-fair favorites, alongside games and carnival attractions for children and families.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And for those with a serious sweet tooth, the cannoli eating contest is back. This year\u2019s competition is scheduled for Aug. 24 and is sponsored by Robert De Falco Realty, Il Coloseo Ristorante and Villabate Alba.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The festival will also recognize its 2026 honorees, including Grand Marshals Rosemarie Sparacio<\/a> and Sal \u201cThe Voice\u201d Valentinetti<\/a>, with La Reginetta of the Feast, Francesca LoCicero.<\/p>\n

\"\"In its 52nd year, the festival has become a Bensonhurst staple.Photo by Paul Frangipane<\/p>\n

The celebration will culminate on Aug. 30, with the traditional procession honoring Santa Rosalia. The procession is scheduled to begin at 2 pm,, following the marching band from the Santa Rosalia statue at 18th Avenue and 72nd Street.\u00a0 The procession will go through the neighborhood before a 3 p.m. Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church at 7201 15th Ave.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The procession has long served as the feast\u2019s religious centerpiece, connecting Bensonhurst\u2019s Italian-American traditions with the centuries-old devotion to Santa Rosalia in Italy.\u00a0\n<\/p>\n

The Feast of Santa Rosalia runs through Aug. 30 on 18th Avenue between 68th and 75th streets in Bensonhurst. The procession is Aug. 30 at 2 p.m., followed by Mass at Our Lady of Guadalupe Church at 3 p.m.<\/p>\n

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