The Tradition:
The Wedding of the Sea Festival is the parish’s signature annual event. The Wedding of the Sea tradition began in Venice around the year 1000 AD. The civil and religious leaders of Venice performed an annual “wedding” between the city and the Adriatic Sea on the Feast of the Ascension of Christ. The ritual symbolized the maritime power’s vital relationship to the sea. The tradition came to Atlantic City through St. Michael’s Church, an historically Italian parish, but was celebrated on a different feast, the Assumption of Mary. Whether the destination is the beach, the Boardwalk, or the casinos, the great appeal of Atlantic City is the Atlantic Ocean. The Wedding of the Sea Festival celebrates the relationship of the city and the sea and asks God to grant success to the work of so many to build up our great city.
The Festival: *Festival Update for 2022:
The festival is usually complementary to having mass at Boardwalk Hall (as opposed to Saint Nicholas, where it is now). The planning team is still evaluating the possibility for 2022.
The Wedding of the Sea Festival in past years has featured over a dozen of our favorite neighborhood restaurant and bakery vendors, a beer garden, adults’ and kids’ games, raffles, face painting, and live music.
The 2019 participating food vendors were Dock’s Oyster House, beer garden provided by Ducktown Tavern, as well as desserts from Peace Pie, St. Nicholas Greek Orthodox Church! As well as amazing, authentic food offered by the Vietnamese, Hispanic and Italian communities of the Parish!