You like doo-wop. You like laughs. You like oysters and sweets. So head to Arthur Avenue on Sunday, September 13 for the legendary Belmont celebration Ferragosto.
Neapolitan songster Don Felice, jazzman Jim Altamore, actor Dominic Chianese, The Bronx Wanderers, The Caleps, Charli and Teddy Ricciardella plan to appear. There’ll be an Italian folk dance troupe and an Italian folk theatre troupe, too.
“From opera to Sinatra,” resident and Belmont booster Frank Franz said.
Arthur Avenue’s finest butchers, baker and chefs will attend to guests on the street. There’ll be free samples to taste as well.
“Ferragosto is my favorite day,” Franz said. “The people who attend Ferragosto are the people who love the neighborhood, the people who shop and eat here, the people who grew up here. Ferragosto is a neighborhood reunion.”
The celebration will run noon to 7 p.m. on Arthur Avenue between E. 184th and E. 187th streets. Franz expects a fistful of entertainers and sports celebrities to stop by.
Belmont businesses always sponsor Ferragosto but a significant number of non-Belmont businesses chipped in this year. The Bronx Zoo, Fordham University, the United States Census 2010, Calabro Cheese and more.
Ferragosto is traditionally celebrated on August 15, and is associated with the end of harvest. In Belmont, Ferragosto is celebrated in September to beat the heat.
For the first time, attendees will be able to park at the Fordham University short-term lot, at 685 E. Fordham Road. There’ll be a free shuttle from the parking lot to Arthur Avenue, noon to 8 p.m.
