Where else in the world can you find snakes and cannolis on the same block?
For the 99th year in a row, the San Gennaro Festival has taken over Mulberry Street in Manhattan’s Little Italy. The nine-day event, running from Sept. 11 to 21, celebrates Saint Januarius, a Benevento Bishop from the 200s. He is both the patron saint of Naples and of blood donors, and the festival is an annual tradition that remembers him, featuring Italian-American culture, good food, (overpriced) drinks and even … snakes?
As you stroll through the festival, you’ll see string lights with the colors of the Italian flag above your head and vendors with food, drinks, desserts and jewelry lining the streets. There’s also carnival games and rides with men in white tank tops cat-calling you to play.
The great scent of fried fish, savory pizza and even grilled corn will fill the air around you as an Italian man sings “That’s Amore” and “Sweet Caroline” on the stage at the festival’s entrance to a crowd of dancing veterans and older couples. And if that isn’t enticing enough, then just wait until you see the three men carrying giant boas and anacondas around their necks. Yes, you can stop and take a photo with them (for a small price, of course).
There’s wine, strong Aperol Spritz’s ($16 for one of those small plastic cups you get in doctors’ offices) and desserts ranging from the ever-delicious cannolis (both chocolate and plain) to cheesecake and fresh lemonade.
You can try anything at this festival, from Italian classics like arancini (rice balls) to Skinny Joey’s Cheesesteaks. For pizza, there are just about a dozen options to choose from, including “the original Prince Street pizza” with pepperoni slices, penne vodka slices and plain squares. For some, the amount of food options can be overwhelming (in a delicious way).
“I’m having choice anxiety,” said one patron about the food options at the festival. “There’s so many pizza stands, what if I choose the wrong one?”
Don’t worry, if you get sick of Italian food (or consumed by choice anxiety from all the different vendors), the festival features plenty of other cuisines to try, too. There’s gyro and lamb, BBQ, Jamaican jerk chicken, pineapple bowls with fresh seafood and plenty of arepas. There is even a stand called “Wontonissimo” that boasts, “Wontons with an Italian accent.”
Now that you’ve gobbled up everything in sight, you’ll need something to wash it down with. You could go for the Aperol Spritz, with the refreshing and bubbly taste of bitter oranges and summer, fully immersing yourself in the Italian feel of the festival. Or you could spring for the $7 cappuccino from Caffe Roma, which has been on the corner of Brooke Street since 1891.
“It’s extra foamy,” said another patron about the cappuccino from Caffe Roma. “It tastes more like a traditional cappuccino than you’d get at Starbucks.”
If you’re not into coffee or Aperol, don’t worry, there are plenty of smoothie stands, lemonade stands and beets for you to enjoy. And although the prices of the food and drinks might not be college-student friendly, the accessories and goods sold by the remaining vendors certainly are.
Yes, they sell LABUBUs. Just don’t ask if they’re real or where they came from.
You can also survey tables covered in necklaces, rings, bracelets and even sweaters for dogs. There’s truly something for everyone at this festival, despite its origins and name boasting Italian-American pride. In 2025, it’s really not a festival that’s geared towards any specific group, but tries to cover the needs of anyone passing through Mulberry Street for the next two weeks.
And after you have eaten and shopped away all your remaining dollars, you can spend the rest of your night on the rides. There’s two Ferris wheels to choose from and teacups, for all of your spinning needs.
The festival is open from 11 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. everyday until Sept. 21. There’s plenty of time to fit it into your busy school schedule, and it’s even better when you go with a friend.
