Thank you for coming to Hola Fest!
For more photos from Hola Fest, click here!
Hola Fest 2022 occurred this past Saturday, October 15 along Irvington Avenue. The event merged the popular Seton Village Food Truck & Craft Beer Festival with Hola Fest, a cultural celebration honoring Hispanic Heritage Month. In total, over four thousand people attended the event which ran from 3 PM – 10 PM. Highlights included:
· Over fifteen food trucks and local food vendors
· A variety of performances featuring music and dance from Colombia, Dominican Republic, Spain, and Brazil
· A scavenger hunt into local business with over a hundred and fifty families participating including balloon and jibbitz giveaways from Fantasy Party World
· Local restaurant specials and free samples
· A beer garden sponsored by Gaslight Brewery
· Youth crafts & games at the Vincent Monella Community Center at 133 Fairview Avenue
“Hola Fest brought together so many exciting partners this year,” said Sheena Collum, South Orange Village President. “We know that many of our businesses along Irvington Avenue are Latino/a-owned, so the idea to merge a successful food and beer event with a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month was perfectly aligned with supporting all that Irvington Avenue has to offer. Somos SOMA Latinos was our cultural partner and the line-up of performances that they brought to Hola Fest was stellar with so many talented musicians and dancers. We were also thrilled to have students from the executive board of Seton Hall’s Adelante association as our event Emcees.”
Primary funding for Hola Fest was provided through the Seton Village Neighborhood Preservation Program, a multi-year grant awarded to South Orange in late 2021 and a sponsorship from Natalie Farrell of Weichert Realty.
“Our NPP funding meant we were able to greatly expand our event offerings,” said Sally Unsworth, NPP Coordinator. “We also made the decision to move the event to a Saturday, which allowed for families to come and spend several hours eating, dancing, creating and exploring Irvington Avenue businesses. With additional programming at the Vincent Monella Community Center at 133 Fairview Avenue, we were able to utilize the district in many new and exciting ways.”
Main Stage Performers included:
Community Partners included:
South Orange Village
Seton Village Neighborhood Preservation Program
Somos SOMA Latinos
Gaslight Brewery
Garden of Edith
Natalie Farrell
Seton Hall University
Adelante SHU
