Photo: Mike Macklin/WBZ NewsRadio
BOSTON (WBZ NewsRadio) — Boston’s oldest continuous Italian festival is celebrating its 115th year in the North End all weekend long.
The Fisherman's Feast features local music from the Fenway Brats, a Best Meatball Competition, the “Famous Flight of the Angel” and a $2,000 raffle, according to the event’s website.
Nearly 100 vendors participate in the festival every year to offer food, beverages, souvenirs, jewelry, artwork and other items.
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Dan, a North End resident, roamed Hanover Street with a cheesy bite from Galleria Umberto.
“It’s the best pizza on the North End,” he said. “Nine bucks for four slices – you can't beat that.”
Danny Puccio, the event’s co-chairman, said there is something for everyone, but the grand finale is “truly a spectacle not to be missed.”
A young girl dressed as an angel will be suspended on a wire above the feast and then raised back up into the window after a short prayer.
The festival is a tradition brought over by 16th century fishermen from Sciacca, Sicily and based on their devotion to Madonna del Soccorso, an Italian title for the Virgin Mary.
The feast is free for all to enter.
WBZ NewsRadio’s Mike Macklin reports.