From today, Thursday, September 17, Little Italy returns to fill with stalls, music, processions and Italian flags for the Feast of San Gennaro. The 2026 edition will continue until Sunday, September 27th and has a special meaning: it has been a hundred years since the first festival organized in 1926 by Neapolitan immigrants living around Mulberry Street.
For eleven days a part of Lower Manhattan is transformed into a large pedestrian area, with hundreds of stands and a daily program of concerts, religious ceremonies and shows. Entrance to the party and events organized on the main stage is free of charge.
The heart remains Mulberry Street, in the stretch between Canal Street and Houston Street. The party also extends along Hester Street, between Baxter and Centre Street, and on Grand Street, between Baxter Street and Centre Market Place. The main stage of the shows is at the intersection of Grand and Mott Street.
The official programming includes over thirty dates distributed in the eleven days. It is therefore not necessary to choose a specific day to find the open holiday: stands, restaurants and attractions remain active throughout the duration of the event, while concerts, processions and celebrations follow a separate calendar.
The party program
The hundredth edition begins today with two musical appointments.
At 18 Johnny Mandolin will inaugurate for the fifteenth consecutive year the party, this time together with singer Marie Anello. At 19:30 it will be the turn of Jim Caruso’s Cast Party, accompanied on the floor by Billy Stritch, with a show dedicated to the Italian American repertoire.
From Friday the program will become more dense. On September 18th on stage will alternate Mike Sergio at 3:00, Midnight Dream at 4:15, Sal Viviano at 17:30 and Ricky Tinelli at 19:30.
The central date of the festival is Saturday 19 September, the day dedicated to the patron saint of Naples.
The Solemn High Mass is scheduled at 2 pm in honor of San Gennaro. The religious celebration remains one of the most clearly reminiscent of the origin of the festival, born not as a gastronomic festival but as a religious celebration of the Neapolitan community of New York.
The day will continue at 6 pm with the Giglio Band and from 7 pm with a live radio broadcast conducted by Joe Causi.
The celebration of 19 September should not be confused with the great closing procession of the next weekend: they are two separate appointments.
One of the main events of the entire edition will be the Grand Procession, scheduled on Saturday, September 26 from 14 to 16.
The statue of San Gennaro will be taken along the streets of Little Italy along with wagons, musical bands and procession participants. The Clarity Festival Band, the Giglio Band and The Italian Fairy are announced. The centenary will also dedicate the procession to the armed forces.
For those who want to see the most traditional and scenic part of the party, together with September 19, this is probably the date to mark on the calendar.
On the evening of the same day the connection with Naples will be even more evident. From 18 to 21 there is a special show with artists from the city, organized with Napoli Expo for the centenary.
On stage will rise Livio Cori, a Neapolitan singer who combines urban music and Neapolitan tradition; jazz singer and pianist Walter Ricci; and rock band Furious Jane.
Other concerts
The music program continues practically every day.
On Sunday, September 20, there are Vanessa Racci Band at 15:00, Frank Moyo at 17, Amanda Pascali at 18:00 and Matteo DeSantis at 7:00.
On Monday 21st there will be Theo “Romantic Tenor” Ricciardella at 15, Gian Faraone at 16:30, Just Friends at 18 and, at 19:30, Opera Night with the Manhattan Opera Repertory Ensemble.
Tuesday, September 22nd are scheduled Eric DeLauro at 3:30 p.m., Cory Pesaturo at 4:30 p.m., Francesca Cavaliere and Theresa Sareo at 6 p.m. and The Great Italian American Karaoke Show from 7:30 p.m.
On Wednesday, September 23, Louis Vanaria and JoAnn Roberts will perform at 15, Jessa V & Band at 18, while at 19:30 Neapolitan Night is scheduled.
Thursday, September 24 will be the turn of Bianca & Vittorio at 15, Nicolas King at 16:30 and, from 18, Angelo Venuto, Lisa Messina and John Micalizzi.
Friday, September 25, the program will begin at 3pm with Christian Sparacio. At 16 he will climb on stage Dominic Chianese, actor known above all for the role of Corrado “Junior” Sopranos in the Sopranos and for many years he also interprets the Italian and Neapolitan musical repertoire. They will follow Chase Manhattan at 6 pm, Ginger Winn at 7 pm and Sal “The Voice” & Friends at 8 pm.
After the Grand Procession and the Neapolitan evening of Saturday 26, the party will end on Sunday, September 27 with the City Rhythm Orchestra from 15 to 17 and Jenna Esposito from 18 to 21. Esposito, known as “The Voice of Little Italy”, will be the last artist on stage of the 100th edition.
The official calendar is updated by the organizers and is the best reference to check any changes to the times during the eleven days.
What to eat
The gastronomic part does not have a program: it accompanies the party from opening to closing.
Along Mulberry Street and the surrounding streets are set up stands dedicated above all to Italian and Italian cuisine. There are zeppoles, cannoli, arancini, pizza, fried calamari and the classic sandwiches with sausage and peppers, along with the restaurants of Little Italy that during San Gennaro extend part of the service on the road.
According to estimates spread on the eve of the edition, in the area of the festival there will be about 300 stands between food, drinks, games and other sellers.
Unlike the shows, which follow the times indicated in the calendar, there is no only one time valid for each individual stand and restaurant: it can change depending on the activity and the day.
How to get here
For those who can do this, the metro is the easiest way to reach San Gennaro, especially during the two weekends.
Little Italy can be reached from several stations. Canal Street is served by the lines J, Z, N, Q, R and W and, in other stations of the same complex and the area, from lines 4 and 6; line 6 stops also at Spring Street. From Broadway-Lafayette Street and Bleecker Street you can walk using lines B, D, F, M and 6.
Before leaving, especially on the weekend, it is advisable to check on the MTA website or app any temporary changes to the service.
Coming by car is much more complicated than normal.
The Department of Transportation has included the centenary of San Gennaro among events that involve road closures from 17 to 27 September, at the discretion of NYPD.
Restrictions include Mulberry, Mott, Baxter, Centre, Lafayette, Canal, Hester, Grand, Broome, Kenmare, Spring, Prince and Jersey Street, as well as Centre Market Place and Cleveland Place.
In total there are numerous blocks around Little Italy and the DOT also introduced a special embargo on road work in the area between 14 and 28 September.
That is why those arriving from outside Manhattan would better leave the car outside the neighborhood and complete the route with the metro or on foot. Taxis and services like Uber and Lyft can also meet deviations and difficulties in directly reaching Mulberry Street.
Dates to remember
The party lasts eleven days, but four days focus on the main appointments.
Thursday, September 17: opening of the 100th edition and first concerts.
Saturday 19 September: day of San Gennaro and Solemn High Mass at 14.
Friday 25 September: Dominic Chianese on stage at 4:00.
Saturday 26 September: Grand Procession from 14 to 16 and, from 18, musical evening dedicated to Naples with Livio Cori, Walter Ricci and Furious Jane.
Sunday, September 27: last day, with City Rhythm Orchestra and closing entrusted to Jenna Esposito.
The centenary also arrives a few days after a symbolic decision of the New York City Council. The City Council approved a resolution that recognizes every September the Feast of San Gennaro and the Ferragosto Festival of the Bronx as a celebration of the contribution of Italian and Italian immigrants to the city.
In the document the Council recalls that in New York there are little more than 500 thousand people who identify themselves as Italians and that the Italian one represents the largest community of European origin.
It is a dimension that this year will be particularly present in Little Italy. The party born in 1926 as a one-day celebration organized by Neapolitan immigrants arrives at its 100th anniversary, occupying for eleven days a part of Manhattan.
As this transformation happened, and as San Gennaro has become one of the most recognizable Italian events in New York, it is another story.
L’articolo San Gennaro 2026 in New York: the Little Italy party guide comes from IlNewyorkese.
