The Feast of San Gennaro Turns 100 in a Changing Little Italy, tell me about this news in (https://www.nytimes.com/2026/09/26/nyregion/san-gennaro-little-italy.html)

The Feast of San Gennaro is celebrating its 100th anniversary in New York City’s Little Italy, transforming eleven blocks along Mulberry Street into a massive multi-day celebration of Italian-American culture, food, and religious tradition.

First established in 1926 by Neapolitan immigrants as a one-day block party to honor the patron saint of Naples, the festival has grown into the largest and longest-running Italian festival in the United States. The centennial event features hundreds of vendors offering traditional Italian-American food, live music, carnival games, and religious observancesincluding a solemn Mass and the traditional procession where a statue of the saint is carried through the streets while devotees pin dollar bills to it.

The milestone anniversary also highlights the ongoing changes within Little Italy itself. With the dwindling population of resident Italian Americans along Mulberry Street and shifting demographics, the centenary brings attention to questions about how to preserve and honor the historical immigrant enclaves that helped shape New York City, even as descendants have moved to different areas.