At the opening night of the Feast of San Gennaro

Photos and text by Stacie Joy 

The Feast of San Gennaro returned to Little Italy on Thursday for its annual run of sausage and peppers, fried everything, carnival rides, processions and packed streets. 

On opening night of this 100th edition, we spotted plenty of old-timers, gold jewelry, stogies, a gentleman in a fedora offering dinner and wine, and the Feast's religious procession making its way through the crowd. Holy water flowed freely — I received two blessings! 

There was plenty of deep-fried experimentation, too. Friends conducted an informal survey of the deep-fried rainbow cookies on offer, while this year's lineup also includes deep-fried PB&J Uncrustables. 

And then there was the Ferris wheel, creaking and groaning above the festivities. I politely declined the invitation to take a ride. 

Opening night was crowded, loud, raucous and expensive — in other words, the Feast of San Gennaro.

We already look forward to doing it all again next year. (The festival runs through Sept. 27, so you have time.)

Among the familiar faces was Lucy the Sausage Queen, who clarified an important Feast fact: Despite several booths bearing the Lucy's name, her stand is the one in the middle of the festivities — easy enough to identify by Lucy herself, stationed near the peppers and keeping an eye on the cash.

Her longtime slogan still stands: "Lucy’s hot, Lucy's sweet, Lucy's sausage can’t be beat!"