Celebrate Giglio Feast 2024 | July 10-21

For 12 days each summer, the streets surrounding the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel are transformed during the annual Giglio Feast. This year, July 10 to July 21 will mark the 137th such occasion in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. 

The Feast's origins go back to the 1880s, when immigrants from southern Italy, specifically from Nola, landed in Brooklyn. Inspired by the traditions of their native country, these immigrants began celebrating the Feast in 1887.

While the Feast hosts food vendors, rides, games, and daily entertainment, the occasion is marked by its centerpiece, a four-ton, seven-story, 72-foot tower. As part of the neighborhood's nearly two-week Feast, the tall, ornately decorated structure, known as the "Giglio," is carried through the streets, known as the Dancing of the Giglio. This involves a team of lifters known as paranzas carrying the Giglio, which is decorated with flowers and the image of St. Paulinus.

The lifts involve over 100 men, carrying the four-ton tower on poles and walking through the streets of Williamsburg. The multi-story structure also has a platform, with an entire 12-piece brass band playing “O' Giglio'e Paradiso.”

Currently, the complete team of paranzas comprises roughly 325 men, many of whom are following in the footsteps of their fathers and grandfathers. As the neighborhood continues to change, members of the Paranza return each year from Queens, Long Island, New Jersey, and other states — a true representation of the reach of the annual Feast.

During the celebration, there are three different lifts: Giglio Sunday (Sunday, July 14), the Night Lift of the Giglio (Wednesday, July 17), and Old Timers' Day (Sunday, July 21).

Also of note are the two Children's Giglio Lifts on Thursday, July 11, and Thursday, July 18. But at the heart of the Feast is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel (Tuesday, July 16), which features Catholic Mass in English, Italian, Polish, Spanish, and Haitian/Creole.

The Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast is the primary fundraiser for Our Lady of Mt. Carmel-Annunciation Parish. The parish community depends on the proceeds each year to fund its programs and support the ministries of the Catholic Church in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. They cannot survive without the financial support of the Feast. If you would like to lend your financial support, you can do so here.

Among the things that Broadway Stages loves about working in Brooklyn are the long-standing traditions and celebrations of multiple cultures. The Giglio Feast is just that. It marks generations of tradition and new generations of memories. Follow the Feast on Instagram and Facebook, and make your plans to attend to make some memories of your own!