The spirit of Sicily will be coming to southwest Brooklyn once again, as Bensonhurst gears up for the 42nd Annual Feast of Santa Rosalia. The feast, known by locals as the 18th Avenue Festival, will span 18th Avenue (aka Cristoforo Colombo Boulevard) from 65th Street to 75th Street from Thursday, August 17 through Sunday, August 27.

“It’s a tradition that’s been passed down from generation to generation. They do a feast every year in Palermo, Sicily to honor the patron saint of Palermo, Santa Rosalia,” explained Angelo Timoneri, an organizer of the feast and treasurer of Figli de Santa Rosalia, a sponsor of the event. “At the end of the feast, we hold a procession where we take the saint to Saint Dominic Church and have a full mass.”