88th Hoboken Italian Festival Wows Locals on Opening Day in Sinatra Park

88 years in the making, the Hoboken Italian Festival, one of the city’s longest traditions, returns to Sinatra Park this week. The festivities began on Thursday and will conclude on Sunday night, offering fair goers four days of scrumptious Italian favorites, live music, and family fun for all.

The festival honors the Madonna Dei Matiri. Festival President Antonio Albanese, originally of Malfetta, Italy, stated to NJ.com that while the number of festival-goers hailing from his home town has dwindled over time, “there are enough Italians though, and everyone is welcome.”

Against the background of the Hudson River, hundreds enjoyed the first night of the festival which featured a live band, Super 50/50, bouncy house, carnival rides, and traditional boardwalk-style carnival games. Local foodies enjoyed diverse dishes from Asian BBQ to fried pizza, hazelnuts, foccacia, and of course, an endless supply of zeppoles. Vendors also sold jewelry, t-shirts, and souvenirs.

“Everyone when we came to America we brought the picture of the Madonna for protection, good health, prosperity, “ Cappelluti who is a former Hoboken resident who has attended every festival for the past 42 years, told NJ.com. When asked what his favorite food at the festival is, Cappelluti told NJ.com, “everything here is my favorite but the most important is the novena.”

The Italian Festival will conclude with a cannoli eating contest at 8 p.m. on Saturday. For updates on the Festival, click here. To see a slide show of photos taken during the festival, click here.