St. Ann’s Festival Makes Comeback After 5-Year Gap With More Seating, Traditional Procession

After a long pause, St. Ann's Italian Festa returns to Raritan Borough next month. The 116th celebration runs from June 19-21, adding space for 150 more guests and bringing back an old tradition, the Saint Rocco walk.

Visitors can stop by 40 2nd Ave. between 5 and 10 p.m. each night. The free event draws about 2,000 people daily for Italian cooking. "The goal was never to bring it back for just one year. This is the 116th, and we want to get to 1,016th," said Joe Cirillo to MyCentralJersey.com.

The five-year break came from COVID-19 and money troubles. When it started up again last year, the event raised $50,000 to support St. Ann Church and its Classical Academy.

Opening day starts with a 3 p.m. mass on June 19. At 4 p.m., people will walk with Saint Rocco's statue through the school grounds. They'll place it in a special spot at 5 p.m.

The menu offers fresh meatball sandwiches and pizza fritte. Guests can try breaded eggplant or get sausage loaded with peppers. New kitchen gear, like extra fridges, a big sauce pot, grills, and another fryer, will make food come out faster.

Saint Rocco means a lot to Raritan. Back when Italian families first moved here, they picked this saint, known for helping sick people during the Black Plague, to watch over their festival.

But they need more hands to keep the event going strong. "As long as people support the Festa, it's going to continue, so we're looking for new people to step up and volunteer, especially for leadership roles," Cirillo said.

Want to pitch in? They need help with setup, cleanup, and stretching pizza dough. Sign up at bit.ly/44T5WmC or call 201-724-7997.