Contractors hang street decorations at Hudson and Fourth streets for the 2012 Hoboken Italian Festival that runs Sept. 6 to Sept. 9.Contractors dressed Fourth and Hudson streets in the tri-colors of the Italian flag today to ready the Mile Square City for the 86th annual Hoboken Italian Festival in two weeks time.
Workers were hanging up the ornaments today from utility poles for the festival that runs from Sept. 6 though 9. The procession through the streets of Hoboken will be held Saturday Sept. 8.
The event schedule is still being finalized, including the times for the feast, but the four days of fun will be MC'd by Johhny Maggio.
The Cannoli eating contest will be held Saturday Sept. 8 at 8 p.m. and the fireworks will be held the same day at 9:15 p.m.
Festival goers can expect a religious celebration honoring the Madonna Dei Martiri on Saturday. The procession will be a day-long event through the streets of Hoboken and includes reenactments of the "Blessing of the Feet" in the Hudson River.
The event, which traces its history back to a 1399 street festival in Molfetta, Italy, a small town by the Adriatic Sea, included a procession of the religious figure with parishioners carrying the statue into a boat and sailing out into the harbor.