112 Years on Hanover Street: The Saint Agrippina Feast This Weekend

Immigrants from Mineo, Sicily, brought their patron saint to Boston in 1914, and the North End has marked the occasion every August since. The 112th Saint Agrippina di Mineo Feast runs July 30 through August 2 on Hanover and Battery Streets—four days of free concerts, street food, and a procession that stops traffic in the most literal sense.

Thursday evening opens with a ceremony. At 7:30 p.m., members of the Saint Agrippina Society carry a life-size statue of the saint through the neighborhood streets, devotees pinning dollar bills to the litter as it passes. The tradition goes back to the feast’s first year. Sunday brings the grand procession at noon, when the same route draws the largest crowd of the weekend.

Between processions, Hanover Street runs as a food corridor. Vendors line the block with shellfish, arancini, sausage with peppers and onions, fried calamari, and cannoli. Live bands play through the evening on both days. Admission is free throughout.

The North End presents a specific logistical problem on feast weekends. Hanover Street narrows to the width of a sidewalk crowd, parking disappears blocks away, and the neighborhood streets funnel foot traffic in one direction. Visitors who drive in spend more time finding a spot than they do at the feast itself.

Boston Town Car drops passengers directly on the edge of the North End before the crowds lock the streets down. Event transportation runs point-to-point—no circling, no garage fees, and pickup when the evening wraps up.

Photo: Jason Eppink / Flickr