If an endless array of traditional Italian grub, carnival rides, daily entertainment, and more sounds like a day well spent, then you’re certainly going to want to head to Williamsburg this July for NYC’s annual Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast (OLMC Feast).
OLMC Feast is a beloved NYC Italian street festival that takes place over 12 days in Williamsburg each summer–and it’s currently going on!
The festive event has been a part of the community since 1887 when immigrants from Southern Italy brought their cherished celebrations to their new home in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Deeply devoted to their faith, particularly to patron saint San Paolino, they formed the Società M.S. San Paolino, a mutual aid society which organized the first Giglio Feast in Brooklyn in 1903.
In the 1950s the leadership of the feast shifted to The Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, and the festival has been celebrated each July ever since, culminating on July 16th, the feast day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. Today, the Giglio Feast continues the centuries-old tradition and remains a treasured tradition in Brooklyn, though with the new name of Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast.
The feast’s centerpiece is the towering Giglio–standing over 70 feet tall and adorned with flowers, saints, and angels–which is carried through the streets by over one hundred men. Along with the Giglio, a symbolic boat is also lifted and paraded in celebration of San Paolino’s return to Nola.
The event is filled with music, dance, and a spirit of old neighborhood traditions, uniting generations of Italian Americans and welcoming people of all backgrounds to experience its history, devotion, and vibrant festivities.
In addition to the Dance of the Giglio, the feast offers all that you’ve come to expect from an Italian-American feast in NYC–you know, like San Gennaro or Ferragosto Festival–including thrilling carnival rides, exciting games, live entertainment, and, of course, delicious food like sausage and peppers, cannolis, zeppoles, and more!
The Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast officially kicked off on Wednesday, July 9th with a procession of drums and horns, but there’s still tons of fun to be had, like the 4-ton, nearly 80-foot Giglio being marched through the streets by 120 men this Sunday (July 20th)!
Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast 2025 Schedule
- Tuesday, 7/15 – Children’s Giglio (7 pm – 11 pm | a smaller version of a lifting of the Giglio for kids)
- Wednesday, 7/16 – Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (9 am – 9 pm | masses will be celebrated throughout the day with a Feast Day Mass at 3pm celebrated by Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio followed by the Procession of Our Lady through the streets of Williamsburg)
- Thursday, 7/17 – Night Lift of the Giglio (7:30 pm)
- Sunday, 7/20 – Lifting of the Giglio (1:30 pm)
You can view the daily entertainment schedule on OLMC Feast’s website and view a video of a past year’s event below:
📍 275 North 8th Street, Brooklyn
🗓 July 9th – 20th, 2025
🎟️ Free