Author Description

Recorded histories about The Feast of San Gennaro do not offer much detail regarding the 1960s and early 1970s other than basic facts of its existence. The Feast had not yet been fully media-exposed, and was not very well known beyond local knowledge, visiting relatives, and some adventurous tourists looking for exotic corners of the city. Prior to the 1960s some photographs and descriptions exist - crime scenes, and other historical accounts - but one could guess that attention to this festival might have been limited due to a society distracted by the war in Vietnam, "flower people," and politics and people in rebellion. As an attention grabber, The Feast did not scream loudly. That would begin to change by 1974 when, commenting on its size, New York Magazine called the festival "no place for the fainthearted."