Saints and parishioners go marching in as annual St. Anthony of Padua Italian Festival opens in Wilmington

It was a glorious day in Wilmington June 7 as bright skies and warm temperatures greeted parishioners at St. Anthony of Padua Church.

The “Parade of Saints” kicked off the annual Italian Festival in the “Little Italy” section of Wilmington on the grounds of the parish. The feast day Mass, with readings and music in Italian, and procession of saints highlighted the first day of the festival, which runs through June 13.

A main draw for the festival is the food, and that will be largely the same. There is a new vendor, Forte Foods, which is an Italian food distributor, and Luigi and Giovanni, one of the vendors, will be opening an additional café on Scott Street.

There will be three entertainment stages, Albence said. Opera Delaware is returning this year for a night of Italian arias, and visitors will experience pop-up concerts.

The Italian Festival will be open for a full schedule for all seven days. On the opening Sunday and closing Saturday, the hours are 4-10 p.m. The gates will open at 5:30 each weeknight, a half hour earlier than in recent years.