2012 St. Ann's Italian Festival in Hoboken: On Now Through July 26th

Now that the rain and heat waves have subsided in the New York metro area, it's a a great time to take in some live music and street fairs. The St. Ann's Italian Festival in Hoboken, which has been running for more than 100 years now, always draws big crowds to see the live music and eat the Italian goodies such as sausage-and-peppers heros, zeppoles, calzones, and cannoli.

The festival takes place near the church, which is at 704 Jefferson St. in Hoboken (see map). It began yesterday, but most of the festival is yet to come. Festival hours are: July 21st and 22nd: 1 to 11 p.m.; July 23rd through 25th: 6 to 11 p.m. [corrected]; July 26th: 12 Noon to 11 p.m.

Here's the live music for the the rest of the St. Ann's Feast (as the festival is also known). Bands begin at 8:15 p.m.

• Sat., July 21st: Cristina Fontanelli & Orchestra
• Sun., July 22nd: Harold Melvin's Blue Notes
• Mon., July 23rd: The Nerds
• Tues., July 24th: Brass Transit (playing the music of Chicago)
• Wed., July 25th: Steve Lippia Sings Simply Sinatra with the Jordan Thomas Orchestra
• Thurs., July 26th: The Bronx Wanderers (playing songs by Dion, etc.) 

Crowds at the festival can be rather large, especially on weekends, and this year should be no exception. The good weather should contribute to a big turnout. I generally go to the festival on weeknights when the crowds aren't as large and the lines aren't as long. Hey, the food tastes just as good.