For a century, the festival has drawn the faithful and the hungry alike to Hoboken's waterfront each September, a celebration that is equal parts street fair and sacred ritual. The Hoboken Italian Festival — known to generations as the Feast of the Madonna Dei Martiri, the Madonna of the Martyrs — returns September 10 through 13, 2026, for its 100th anniversary, four days of music, rides, food, and, for the first time in its long history, a drone show over the Hudson River.
The festival's roots reach far beyond the Mile Square City, back across the Atlantic to Italy, where the tradition of the Madonna Dei Martiri goes back to 1399. That year, King Ladislao di Durazzo of Naples ordered the street festival and religious observance combined to celebrate the "Miracle" and blessings of the Madonna. Traditionally held on September 8, the Universal Feast of the Nativity of Mary, the observance took root in Hoboken in the early twentieth century.
The Society that carries the tradition is based at 332 Adams Street in Hoboken.
Today the festival unfolds along Sinatra Drive between First and Third Streets, on the waterfront where Frank Sinatra's namesake park stands. The centerpiece remains Saturday's Feast Day, when the 800-pound statue of the Madonna Dei Martiri is carried through the streets of Hoboken from St. Francis Church at 308 Jefferson Street. The day begins with an 11 a.m. Mass, followed at 2 p.m. by the street procession, which includes a reenactment of the historic "Blessing of the Fleet" on the Hudson River, beginning at the Hoboken Ferry Station around 4 p.m. The procession culminates this year at the festival stage on Pier A at 5:30 p.m., and the Madonna is sailed around the Hudson before returning to the church.
The 2026 centennial edition is pulling out all the stops. Thursday, September 10, is Country Music Night, with Hoboken's own Krystal, line-dancing lessons from Boots & Bling, a mechanical bull, a tequila and bourbon tasting in the Feast Bar sponsored by Gallo Wines of New Jersey, and a headlining set from Austin City Nights. Friday, September 11, is the Salute to America, beginning with the City of Hoboken's annual memorial service marking the 25th anniversary of the September 11 attacks, followed by a night of tribute music — Kyle Martin's "Piano Man" homage to Billy Joel (the Piano Man himself hand-picked Martin in 2007 to star in Broadway's "Movin' Out," and all proceeds benefit the Tunnel to Towers Foundation) and Hugo Valenti's Ultimate Journey tribute.
Saturday, September 12, is the Feast Day itself, with Italian cover bands La Strana Sensazione and Dio LoVuole Band arriving from Molfetta, and Sal "The Voice" Valentinetti — Heidi Klum's unforgettable 2016 Golden Buzzer recipient and an America's Got Talent finalist — crooning the songs of Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Tony Bennett. At 9 p.m. comes the festival's first-ever drone show, launched over the Hudson River by Pixis Drones and sponsored by Mutti USA, billed as the 100th Anniversary Drone Show. The R3 Brothers, who have performed at the festival for nearly twenty years, cap off the night. Sunday, September 13, brings the Feast Finale, with NFL Opening Sunday games streaming in the Feast Bar, the twelve-piece Moroccan Sheepherders, and a closing performance by The Jersey Tenors, paying tribute to Frankie Valli, the Beach Boys, and Queen.
This year, local businesses are at the heart of the celebration. The Centennial Hospitality Suite on Pier A offers an exclusive culinary experience with views of Manhattan, featuring a curated menu from an all-Hoboken restaurant lineup including Leo's Grandevous — a true Hoboken institution with 85 years of history — along with Otto Strada, Court Street, and Madison Bar + Grill. Fee-based options are available for special experiences.
A century after it began, the Feast of the Madonna Dei Martiri endures as one of the largest Italian festivals in the tri-state area — a living link between a royal decree in 1399 and the festival that has called Hoboken's waterfront home for a century. For those who remember holding their parents' hands as the statue passed by, and for newcomers who have come for the waterfront and the commute, the 100th anniversary is a chance to watch a century-old tradition light up the night sky.