A huge Italian street festival is taking over Williamsburg this week

Williamsburg smells like sausage and peppers again, which can only mean one thing: the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Feast is back, and it's bigger, louder and more delicious than ever.

Now in full swing through Sunday, July 20, this 12-day celebration is one of the city’s most vibrant and historic street festivals—a dazzling mashup of old-world tradition and neighborhood block party. At the heart of it all is the Giglio: a 70-foot wooden tower adorned with angels, flowers and saints, carried through the streets by more than 100 men to the soundtrack of live brass bands. (And yes, there's also a boat. Long story.)

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The tradition stretches back to 1887, when immigrants from Nola, Italy, settled in Brooklyn and brought their devotion to San Paolino with them. Legend has it that Paolino, a 5th-century bishop, offered himself into slavery to save a widow’s son and later returned home to a hero’s welcome, greeted with lilies, or “gigli,” from his grateful townspeople. Over time, those lilies became a soaring tower and the feast became a spectacle of faith, food and community.

Today, it’s still anchored by the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, where generations of Italian Americans (and now just about everyone else) gather to dance, pray and indulge. The Giglio itself is lifted several times over the course of the festival, with the biggest and most theatrical hoist happening this Sunday. But the party doesn’t stop there.

There’s a smaller Giglio just for kids today, and Wednesday marks the Feast Day of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, celebrated with a special afternoon Mass and a procession through the neighborhood. For night owls, Thursday’s after-dark Giglio lift is a can’t-miss spectacle, lit by streetlights and powered by cheers from the crowd. Each day brings new live performances and endless snacks—from crispy zeppole to overflowing sausage rolls.

From morning Masses to late-night performances, the streets are alive with music, lights, and the constant whirr of carnival rides. Kids line up for games, old-timers swap stories over espresso and everyone makes time for a fried zeppole (or three). It's chaotic, joyful and unmistakably New York.

Even in a city full of street fairs, there’s nothing quite like this.