Organizers of the St. Anthony’s Feast in the North End are warning attendees this weekend that there will be a zero tolerance for public drinking and increased security throughout the festival.
A week after the Boston Police Department responded to a separate festival in the neighborhood, the Fisherman’s Feast, for 20 reports of underage drinking, the St. Anthony’s Feast kicks off Friday evening with additional precautions in place.
Feast organizers said they are working with the Boston Police Department and hired a private security firm to have personnel at the entrances to the feast to check bags. Attendees are also barred from bringing backpacks, which community members have previously said out-of-town teenagers use to carry alcohol.
“To ensure a safe and fun atmosphere for everyone there will be zero tolerance of public drinking and in particular under age consumption of alcohol,” organizers said.
There will be an “increased presence” of police and security starting Friday night that will hopefully contribute to a more enjoyable environment for feast-goers, said State Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, who represents the North End and is part of the society behind the event.
“This needs to get under control because it has certainly changed the enjoyment dynamic for many of us for the feast,” Michlewitz said. “This is something that is certainly going to bring it back to being a much more family-friendly atmosphere than maybe it has been over the last couple of years.”
In official reports, Boston police officers have said summer feasts in the North End have had multiple issues in the past that “have made it difficult for families, children, event organizers, and attendees to enjoy.”
“In recent years, officers have received an abundance of complaints from the community regarding underage drinking at the festivals,” one police report from Aug. 18 said. “In past years, the festivals have become inundated with minors from outside the city who congregate around the festivals and drink in public, start fights, and cause other disturbances.”
At the Fisherman’s Feast last week, police arrested one 19-year-old who is accused of drinking in public and trying to escape police officers after they saw him drinking a 700 milliliter peach High Noon.
In a message shared earlier this month by St. Anthony’s Feast organizers, Boston Police Cpt. Sean Martin, who oversees the downtown area, said any interference with a permitted event by attendees is “unacceptable and police will take notice.”
“We want attendees of all ages – and those who work at and organize these wonderful events – to feel and be safe and to enjoy the food, music, and sense of community they offer,” Martin said.
