From Seton Village Neighborhood Preservation Program (PPP):
South Orange, NJ – 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 4,000 people attended the event which ran from 3 PM – 10 PM.
South Orange – Dignitaries and residents gather to celebrate HOLA Fest on October 15, 2022 in South Orange, New Jersey (Photography by Matt Peyton Photography)
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 and games at the Vincent Monella Community Center at 133 Fairview Avenue
South Orange – Dignitaries and residents gather to celebrate HOLA Fest on October 15, 2022 in South Orange, New Jersey (Photography by Matt Peyton Photography)
“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.
South Orange – Dignitaries and residents gather to celebrate HOLA Fest on October 15, 2022 in South Orange, New Jersey (Photography by Matt Peyton Photography)
“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:
- Yenyere Dance Studio
- Perico Ripiao
- Cadencia Dancers
- Grupo Libertade de Capoeira
Community Partners included:
- South Orange Village
- Seton Village Neighborhood Preservation Program
- Gaslight Brewery
- Natalie Farrell
- Seton Hall University
- Adelante SHU
Photos by Matt Peyton:
