The Hoboken Italian Festival returns to Sinatra Park and Sinatra Drive this Thursday, Sept. 4 through Sunday, Sept. 7. The festival honors the Madonna dei Martiri, a religious tradition that began in 1188 when crusaders returning to the port of Molfetta on Italy’s Adriatic coast found an icon of the Virgin Mary floating in the water. A number of Italian-Americans in Hoboken trace their heritage to Molfetta, and the feast of Madonna dei Martiri has been celebrated in the city for the past 87 years
The four-day celebration will offer such diversions as food, amusement rides, a cannoli eating contest, fireworks, and nightly musical performances by artists such as Enrico Capuano, Rachel Allyn Band, Blame It On The Girl, and Coro d’Italia. On Saturday, Sept. 6, a procession will carry the statue of Madonna dei Martiri through downtown Hoboken from St. Francis Church to Sinatra Park. The festival runs from 6 to 11 p.m. Thursday and Friday and from noon to 11 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday at Sinatra Drive and River Road.
For more information, visit http://www.hobokenitalianfestival.com.
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