Bensonhurst's 18th Avenue Feast Canceled

The 18th Avenue Feast/Feast of Santa Rosalia has been canceled this year after a more than 30-year run, according to Bensonhurst Bean. Joe LaMotta, one of the festival’s organizers, says the permit for the event from the mayor’s office took a long time to come through, which means it wasn’t possible to get vendors in place. Other sources tell the blog that the mayor’s office isn’t necessarily to blame because the festival’s organizers took a long time to submit necessary paperwork to the city, while “a high-ranking political source” says some of the organizers were arrested as part of a big mafia bust in January. There’s a possibility the event won’t ever make a comeback since the city hasn’t been keen on issuing new permits for street festivals.
18th Avenue Feast Is Cancelled! [Bensonhurst Bean]
Photo by lina-chen.com.