Organizers of the St. Anthony’s Feast within the North End are warning attendees this weekend that there shall be a zero tolerance for public consuming and elevated safety all through the competition.
Every week after the Boston Police Department responded to a separate competition within the neighborhood, the Fisherman’s Feast, for 20 studies of underage consuming, the St. Anthony’s Feast kicks off Friday night with further precautions in place.
Feast organizers mentioned they’re working with the Boston Police Department and employed a non-public safety agency to have personnel on the entrances to the feast to examine baggage. Attendees are additionally barred from bringing backpacks, which group members have beforehand mentioned out-of-town youngsters use to hold 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 mentioned.
There shall be an “increased presence” of police and safety beginning Friday night time that can hopefully contribute to a extra pleasurable setting for feast-goers, mentioned State Rep. Aaron Michlewitz, who represents the North End and is a part of the society behind the occasion.
“This needs to get under control because it has certainly changed the enjoyment dynamic for many of us for the feast,” Michlewitz mentioned. “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 studies, Boston cops have mentioned summer time feasts within the North End have had a number of points prior to now 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 mentioned. “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 final week, police arrested one 19-year-old who’s accused of consuming in public and attempting to flee cops after they noticed him consuming 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 space, mentioned any interference with a permitted occasion 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 mentioned.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”