Call it the spot where the Old Williamsburg meets the New Williamsburg. Every July, for nearly two weeks, Havemeyer Street hosts the Giglio Feast, officially known as the Feast of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel. They’ve been doing it for 121 years, although these days, a fair part of the crowd is made up of local hipsters. In any case, the feast starts on Wednesday, with the first Dance of the Giglio, on Sunday. The Dance of the Giglio is where dozens of men carry a five-story tall, three-ton statue carrying the local priest and a full band, up and down Havemeyer Street, stopping to bounce the thing up and down and rotate it. These are some shots from yesterday’s preparations. We missed the decorative elements being added to the Giglio, but caught some of the work on the Giglio Boat. Click here for some of our pics from last year’s festivities.
Burg Getting Ready to Loft 3-Ton Statue with Priest, Full Band
July 7th, 2008 · 4 Comments
Tags: Williamsburg
4 responses so far ↓
1 plentynuff // Jul 7, 2008 at 10:21 am
I hate to be one more comment-crank, because I do like this blog. But the “All Williamsburg posts/articles must contain the word ‘hipster'” rule toasts my shorts. So I have to ask: when you say ” these days, a fair part of the crowd is made up of local hipsters,” do you actually believe this to be true? Because I don’t. I live on Havemeyer and have seen this thing (much too) up close for the last 4 years, and I’ve scarcely seen a “hipster” there, ever.
2 Nar // Jul 7, 2008 at 11:20 am
Plentynuff is right, “hipsters” don’t go to this. It is mostly Italians and Puerto Ricans.
3 harold // Jul 7, 2008 at 11:53 am
There’s too much Testosterone in that crowd for your typical hipster.
They get scared off easily.
4 Klongloff // Jul 7, 2008 at 5:02 pm
Agreed, I’ve walked through it the last 2 years; it’s mostly italian and puerto rican families, although, while I’m not a hipster, I sometimes affect hipster-like poses, outfits, and lifestyle choices.