Kick Start Fall and Keep Small Strong at the 18th Annual What the Fluff? A Tribute to Union Square Innovation Festival

Kick Start Fall and Keep Small Strong at the 18th Annual What the Fluff? A Tribute to Union Square Innovation Festival

[Somerville, MA, September 19, 2023]  What the Fluff? A Tribute to Union Square Innovation returns for an 18th year this Saturday, September 23 from 3 to 7pm (rain date 9/24). This zany, madcap festival honors the invention of Marshmallow Fluff by Archibald Query in Somerville in 1917 and salutes the spirit of innovation that thrives throughout the city today.

Celebrate this iconic condiment with fellow Fluff lovers in Union Square, the longstanding home of this funky festival. This year’s theme – Fluff Union: The Sweetest Square in Somerville presented by Boynton Yards – showcases delightful and delectable tastes, sweet sights and sounds, incredible innovations, and community, sweet, community!

Discover tasty local treasures at neighborhood businesses, raise a pint of Fluff with friends old and new, dance in the streets, and make sweet memories at the most flufftastic end-of-summer celebration in New England. Just like Union Square, there’s something for everyone with a wide variety of themed happenings which promise cost-free fun for all ages:

• Take part in hilarious antics with sticky activities like Fluff Musical Chairs, Fluff Limbo, Fluff Hairdos, and Fluff Jousting on the Shenanigans Stage hosted by Fluff Fest’s longtime Archibald Query impersonator

• Groove with Emcees Sheila and Bobby Foley, of The Neighborhood Restaurant and Bakery and DJ Paul Casserly of Reliable Market on the Fluff’n Jam stage featuring:

  • Special Welcome from Mayor Ballantyne at 3pm

  • FM Collective at 3:15pm

  • Oom Yung Doe demo at 4pm

  • Samba Cisse & Silimbo D’Adeane at 4:20pm

  • Grace Givertz at 4:45pm

  • Villari’s Martial Arts demo at 5:25pm

  • Samba Cisse & Silimbo D’Adeane at 5:45pm

  • Mayor Joe Flufftastic Innovation for Impact Award presentation honoring Bill Cavellini and Michèle Hansen, Union Square Neighborhood Council founding co-chairs at 6pm

  • The White Owls at 6:15pm

• Get inspired at Innovation Alley presented by Somernova featuring youth inventors at the robotics ring, fresh ideas on the freeform mic, and chances to relax at the Inno Alley Lounge

• Challenge yourself or friends to navigate a flufftastic parkour course hosted by Somerville pros Parkour Generations Boston

• Try your hand at old-school, boardwalk-style games including Fluff Bowling, Fluff Ring Toss, and more at the Midway Games Area (free to play, free to win prizes)

• Strike a pose with colorful cutouts of your favorite Fluff characters by local artists Nathaniel Devarie and CultureHouse

• Snag your Fluff shirts, tanks, sweatshirts, koozies, tote bags, and more at the Fluff Stuff merch booth underwritten by The Goods

• Browse more than 60 vendors ready to serve up sweet and savory Fluff-inspired dishes, oodles of Fluff-themed items, community groups, and crafts

• Shop scores of local businesses who will be opening their doors to Fluff lovers in the lead up and during the Festival for you to enjoy scrumptiously sticky treats, buy limited edition Fluff goodies, and take advantage of other flufftastic specials. Participating businesses and more details can be found here!

“For those who know Union Square, Fluff Fest is a beloved tradition that marks – in all its zany glory – the arrival of fall,” said Jessica Eshleman, executive director of Union Square Main Streets. “For those just discovering our neighborhood, What the Fluff? offers an incredible spectrum of unexpected opportunities to fall in love with the locally-owned businesses that make our corner of Somerville so unique and spirited.”

The endlessly entertaining What the Fluff? Festival is made possible by the generosity of its sponsors: Boynton Yards, Somernova, The Goods, The Hamilton Company, Rockland Trust, Holiday Inn Boston Bunker Hill, USQ, Kerbey Harrington Pinkard LLP, Citizens Bank, Liberty Cannabis, Verizon, EventThem, CultureHouse, Parkour Generations Boston, MassBike, Thalia Tringo & Associates Real Estate, Feast & Fettle, Middlesex Federal, HomeWorks Energy, Nicewicz Family Farm and Naveo Credit Union.

“Boynton Yards looks forward to another year of supporting Fluff Fest and the great work of Union Square Main Streets as we come together once again to celebrate Somerville’s thriving businesses and local roots,”  added John Fenton, Development Manager of  DLJ Real Estate Capital Partners, on behalf of the Boynton Yards Development team.

Festivities are expected to attract 20,000 Fluff fans and traffic will be rerouted around Union Square to accommodate festival activities. Revelers are highly encouraged to walk, bike, boogie, or take public transit. Green Line riders will be provided with free, fully accessible shuttles from the East Somerville stop to the heart of Union Square running approximately every 10 minutes.

For a second year free bike valets will be offered by Mass Bikes. Bike valets can be found on Somerville Avenue at the eastern festival entrance near Gracie’s Ice Cream and the the western entrance near Market Basket.

What the Fluff? is produced by Union Square Main Streets and the Somerville Arts Council.

• Date:  Saturday, September 23, 2023 from 3 to 7pm / rain date Sunday, September 24

• Where: Somerville Avenue from Warren Street near Gracie’s Ice Cream to School Street near Market Basket in Union Square, Somerville, MA 02143

• Cost: Free!

• More details: www.flufffestival.com

Union Square Main Streets

Union Square Main Streets works to strengthen the dynamic neighborhood of businesses and people in Union Square. More information is available at www.unionsquaremain.org.

Somerville Arts Council

The mission of the Somerville Arts Council is to cultivate and celebrate the creative expressions of the Somerville community. Through innovative collaborations and quality programming we work to make the arts an integral part of life reflective of our diverse city. More information is available at www.somervilleartscouncil.org