South Brooklyn's Italian feast calendar is mostly invisible from Manhattan, and San Michele is one of the ones that still puts a statue on shoulders and walks it past people's houses. The two routes cover different halves of Bensonhurst, so the neighbourhood gets it twice — an evening one and a morning one. If Little Italy's feast feels like a food court to you, this is the version that never became a tourist attraction.
What to expect
A statue carried through residential Bensonhurst streets with clergy, a band and parishioners walking behind, with neighbours watching from stoops and windows along the route. Each procession is short — roughly an hour to two hours — and moves at walking pace.
Good to know
- The D train to 20th Avenue or the N to Bay Parkway puts you on or near both routes
- The two processions cover different streets, so check which route you are meeting
- Watching from the sidewalk is the norm; there is no seating along either route
- 18th Avenue's bakeries and salumerias are the obvious stop before or after
- Traffic on the closed streets stops while the procession passes
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Common questions
Are these two separate processions?
Yes — one runs on Saturday along Benson Avenue and Cropsey Avenue, the other on Sunday morning along 20th Avenue and Bay Parkway.
How long does each one take?
Each permitted window is between one and two hours.
How do I get there?
The D train to 20th Avenue and the N to Bay Parkway both land within a few blocks of the routes.
