The North End streets will be more packed than usual this weekend, and not just with map-toting tourists wearing backpacks. Saint Anthony’s Feast — the North End’s 89th annual celebration of food, faith, and family — kicks off today with more than 100 vendors offering fresh cannoli, pasta, sausage, and just about every other Italian treat for the approximately 250,000 revelers expected to turn out over the course of the weekend. The festival is steeped in tradition, with a 10-hour procession of the statue of Saint Anthony, plus a fireworks finale. Admission is free; more information is available at www.stanthonysfeast.com.

liquid sunshine

Buzz-kill alert: the summer is winding down. Our beach days are numbered, and we’re inching ever closer to September. The folks at Zócalo Cocina Mexicana (1414 Comm Ave, Brighton, 617.277.5700) say no hay problema. They found a way to keep the warm-weather buzz going: Sangria Summer Sundays. Take a virtual trip south of the border by ordering a flight of three different sangrias (blood orange, pomegranate, and mango) made in-house with fresh fruit and juices, and you’ll forget that Labor Day is creeping up on us (until Monday, that is).