INTRODUCING: EAST HARLEM GIGLIO FESTIVAL 2022

               Archival photo courtesy The Giglio Society of East Harlem 

Harlem Bespoke: The Giglio Festival of East Harlem celebrates a beloved tradition within what used to be the largest Italian neighborhood in the states.  The weekend-long festival culminates with an afternoon fete over at Pleasant Avenue from East 114th to East 116th Street with a crowd of men lifting a massive religious tower that was constructed in the previous days.  Each tower is designed differently every year and this feet of strength was started in Italy centuries ago to honor a town's patron saint.

INTRODUCING: EAST HARLEM GIGLIO FESTIVAL 2022

               Archival photo courtesy The Giglio Society of East Harlem 

Harlem Bespoke: The Giglio Festival of East Harlem celebrates a beloved tradition within what used to be the largest Italian neighborhood in the states.  The weekend-long festival culminates with an afternoon fete over at Pleasant Avenue from East 114th to East 116th Street with a crowd of men lifting a massive religious tower that was constructed in the previous days.  Each tower is designed differently every year and this feet of strength was started in Italy centuries ago to honor a town's patron saint.

INTRODUCING: EAST HARLEM GIGLIO FESTIVAL 2022

               Archival photo courtesy The Giglio Society of East Harlem 

Harlem Bespoke: The Giglio Festival of East Harlem celebrates a beloved tradition within what used to be the largest Italian neighborhood in the states.  The weekend-long festival culminates with an afternoon fete over at Pleasant Avenue from East 114th to East 116th Street with a crowd of men lifting a massive religious tower that was constructed in the previous days.  Each tower is designed differently every year and this feet of strength was started in Italy centuries ago to honor a town's patron saint.

REMEMBER: PATSY'S ANNIVERSARY CELEBRATION

Harlem Bespoke: We have been photographing the neighborhood for over a decade and some of the images are now a bit of local history.  Patsy's on First Avenue by 118th Street use to celebrate the historic restaurant's anniversary in mid August by having a big retro pizza blowout with pricing the same as in 1933 when the eatery first opened.   Above from some outtakes of the 77th Anniversary event which was back in 2010 so now that means that Patsy's just had their 88th Anniversary this week.   Unfortunately that was the last year of the popular event but everyone can still drop by to support one of Harlem's longest running businesses.

HarlemBespoke.com 2021

REMEMBER: EAST HARLEM GIGLIO FESTIVAL 2021

Harlem Bespoke:  We have not been to the Giglio Festival in East Harlem for a couple of years so braved the chance of rain in the forecast this past Sunday to visit the former Italian neighborhood on Pleasant Avenue.  The festival goes back to 1908 and those who are older know that Harlem's little Italy was one of the largest in the nation up until the 1960s when Urban Renewal would change everything. Therefore the celebration had a pause for about a 40 years but a group of dedicated activist have been connecting friends an relatives over the past two decades to make sure the tradition was not forgotten.

Lifting of the 6-story religious pillar uniquely constructed in Italy each year was the highlight of the day and started a little after 2:00PM this time around. Thankfully the rain did not arrive until later in the evening and this year's main event was another success for the organizers.  Check out our past post for some vintage photos of the Giglio Festival from 1950s and 1960: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2021

INTRODUCING: GIGLIO FESTIVAL 2021

               Archival photo courtesy The Giglio Society of East Harlem 

Sunday, August 8th, The East Harlem Giglio Festival 2021, lifts start after 1:30PM by East 114th and Pleasant Avenue.  The Giglio Festival of East Harlem celebrates a beloved tradition within what used to be the largest Italian neighborhood in the states.  The weekend-long festival culminates with an afternoon fete over at Pleasant Avenue from East 114th to East 116th Street with a crowd of men lifting a massive religious tower that was constructed in the previous days.  Each tower is designed differently every year and this feet of strength was started in Italy centuries ago to honor a town's patron saint.  A population of 100,000 Italians once lived in East Harlem for decades before the demographics changed to El Barrio in the latter half of the 20th century.  A group of relatives who have history uptown return to the old neighborhood every year to celebrate the cultural past of East Harlem which used to be called uptown's Little Italy up until the 1960s.

This family-friendly event also features food and a block party before the main lifting ceremony. Check out the full list of activities on the official website along with contact information: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2021

INTRODUCING: GIGLIO FESTIVAL 2021

               Archival photo courtesy The Giglio Society of East Harlem 

Sunday, August 8th, The East Harlem Giglio Festival 2021, lifts start after 12:00PM by East 114th and Pleasant Avenue.  The Giglio Festival of East Harlem celebrates a beloved tradition within what used to be the largest Italian neighborhood in the states.  The weekend-long festival culminates with an afternoon fete over at Pleasant Avenue from East 114th to East 116th Street with a crowd of men lifting a massive religious tower that was constructed in the previous days.  Each tower is designed differently every year and this feet of strength was started in Italy centuries ago to honor a town's patron saint.  A population of 100,000 Italians once lived in East Harlem for decades before the demographics changed to El Barrio in the latter half of the 20th century.  A group of relatives who have history uptown return to the old neighborhood every year to celebrate the cultural past of East Harlem which used to be called uptown's Little Italy up until the 1960s.

This family-friendly event also features food and a block party before the main lifting ceremony. Check out the full list of activities on the official website along with contact information: LINK

HarlemBespoke.com 2021