Boston’s North End is steeped in Italian culture year-round. But in August, it's truly on display. Every year, locals and tourists flock to the area for feasts — a series of multi-day festivals (usually celebrating a Catholic saint) where everyone can experience some of the North End's unique traditions firsthand.

Though feast season technically begins in June, the celebrations are “a real injection to the city in the dog-day, late summer period,” said Dave O’Donnell, a spokesperson for the city’s tourism bureau, Meet Boston. O’Donnell says tourism to the city isn’t quite as robust in August, but hundreds of thousands of people pour into the North End annually for feast season. “They’re a regional driver of visitation,” he added.