Taylor Dayne, the singer behind late-1980s dance-pop staples like “Tell It to My Heart,” is set to headline the Italian Feasts of Saints Cosmas and Damian in East Cambridge on Sept. 12, organizers announced. The free, three-day festival returns for its 101st year, running Sept. 11 through Sept. 13, 2026, and will feature Italian food, games, rides and live entertainment alongside its traditional religious observances.
The Saints Cosmas and Damian Society announced Dayne's booking in an Aug. 14 Facebook post, telling followers, “we will see you all at the feast listening to Taylor Dayne.” As MassLive reports, Dayne is described as the latest world-class entertainer to play the feast, joining a roster of past headliners that has included Wayne Newton, Jimmy Osmond, the Village People, Martha Wash and Chubby Checker.
A Career Built on Chart-Topping Hits
Dayne began her music career in 1987 and, per MassLive's reporting, went on to release 17 top-20 singles over a three-decade career, earning two Grammy Award nominations and selling more than 75 million albums worldwide. Rolling Stone and Billboard have ranked her among the most successful dance artists of all time, according to the same report. Her breakout single, “Tell It to My Heart,” reached No. 7 on the Billboard Hot 100 in January 1988 and served as the title track for her double-platinum debut album, according to Wikipedia.
Dayne notched her sole Billboard Hot 100 No. 1 on April 7, 1990, with the Diane Warren-penned ballad “Love Will Lead You Back,” which spent 15 weeks in the top 40 and also topped the Adult Contemporary chart, per Stereogum. Beyond that single, MassLive credits her with additional No. 1 hits including “Prove Your Love” and “I'll Always Love You.” Wikipedia notes that between late 1987 and 1990, she scored seven consecutive top-10 hits on the Hot 100, a run that spanned singles from her first two studio albums.
A Century-Old Tradition Rooted in Immigrant Heritage
The feast's musical entertainment is layered on top of a century of Italian-American Catholic tradition. It was established in East Cambridge in 1926 by Italian immigrants from the town of Gaeta, who formed the society to help new arrivals integrate into American life while preserving their culture and faith, according to History Cambridge. Many of those Gaeta immigrants settled in East Cambridge and Somerville in the early 20th century, cementing the neighborhood as the festival's lasting home.
The society commissioned custom statues of the twin saints directly from Italy for $265 each when it was founded, and operated separate men's and women's societies until they merged into one entity in 1993, per Wikipedia. Those statues are housed year-round in the society's chapel at 17 Porter Street, which anchors the festival's footprint alongside Warren Street and Macarelli Way in East Cambridge.
Healing Saints and a Grand Procession
Cosmas and Damian were 3rd-century twin brothers and physicians from Cilicia who treated patients without accepting money before being martyred around 287 AD during Roman persecutions, according to History Cambridge. Because they refused payment for their medical care, they were historically dubbed “the unmercenaries,” and the East Cambridge festival continues to honor them as “the healing saints.”
During the festival's main procession, life-sized statues of the saints are carried through local streets while residents pin money and gold to their robes, and carriers lift the statues three times outside homes to offer blessings, per Wikipedia. That procession raises funds for local community assistance and society operations. This year's grand procession takes place Sunday and ends at Warren Street, according to MassLive.
The tradition has continued almost without interruption since its founding, pausing only for a three-year hiatus during World War II from 1942 to 1944, according to The Boston Pilot. The feast marked its official 100th anniversary in September 2025 with a special chapel service and procession featuring legacy vocal group the Classic Drifters, making this year's edition the 101st.
Past headliners at the free outdoor concerts have also included Tavares, Tony Orlando, The Platters, The Drifters, Exposé, Sweet Sensation, Shannon and Cover Girls, according to Wikipedia, reflecting the festival's long history of booking freestyle, pop and R&B acts. The 2026 feast remains free and open to the public, with the full three-day run of food, games, rides and entertainment set for Sept. 11 through 13 in East Cambridge.
