Union Square Main Streets

Fluff Fest Main Page

About the Event
It’s the third annual Fluff festival in Somerville! What the Fluff? A Tribute to Union Square Invention honors Fluff creator, Archibald Query who invented the gooey sticky stuff right here in Union Square in 1917. On Saturday, September 27, celebrate the creation of this great American foodstuff with a madcap tribute. Join artists, musical and theatrical performers, inventors and humorists to pay homage. This year the festival is even bigger with both a performance and a games stages, even activities for all ages, and lots more Fluff food to try.

You can join in the festivities by creating a mallowey concoction for the cooking contest or participating in a range of Fluff shennanigans and field games -- all with fab prizes. Get your tongues ready for the Fluff lick-off, your coordination on track for the Fluffernutter relay, and your taste buds ready for Fluff coin toss. Play culinary roulette and dare to eat the Fluffed-up results. Sample the taste of Fluff including whoopie pies from Petsi Pies, treats from Kick Ass Cupcakes, s’more from Taza Chocolate and the Girl Scouts, and fluffernutters and rice krispie treats. There’s Fluff-inspired cocktails at local watering holes throughout Union Square. A range of performers will entertain the fluff-infused crowd: Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band with 11-pieces combines the sounds of the circus, eastern Europe, avant garde jazz and modern vaudeville, Shrinking Islands will play rollicking pop for all ages and Pasty Hamel Band gets us started with some blues. No fluff festival would be complete without the fabulous Flufferettes (aka the cuties of Thru the Keyhole Burlesque). They’ll entertain between band sets in the style of 30s pin-up girls and 60s go-go dancers.

Date: Saturday, September 27, 4 – 7 pm
(Raindate Sunday, September 28)
Union Square Plaza, Somerville

Where: Union Square Plaza in Somerville. Where Prospect Street, Washington Street and Somerville Avenue meet.

Activities:

Performance Stage - Performances by Emperor Norton’s Stationary Marching Band, Shrinking Islands, Patsy Hamel Band. Special guests Flufferettes (Thru the Keyhole Burlesque).

Cooking Contest - Whip up an original recipe with Fluff or present your best interpretation of a classic. This year’s judges are: Robin Young, host of WBUR’s Here and Now, Will Gilson, award-winning chef of The Garden at the Cellar; Alex Whitmore, co-owner of Taza Chocolate; and a lucky Somerville youth selected from our Fluff-themed contest. Cooking Contest Winner gets a tour of the Durkee Mower Fluff factory, a one-of-a-kind trophy and gift certificates to local businesses.

Fabulous Pharaoh of Fluff – It’s an election year so campaign to be our leader and pledge to stick to your campaign promises. Silly speeches throughout the festival and the winner will be crowned with a special creation by CostumeWorks, the Union Square folks who do the wacky outfits for the Hasty Pudding Theatricals.

Fluff Boy Comic Book – Five Somerville artists tell the story Jimmy, a sweet youth in Union Square, who is transformed into a Fluff-filled super hero and through struggles comes to terms with his new sticky super powers. Book also as a second story and advertising the reflects the oddball nature of comic books. Original art is on display during the festival at SCAT (Somerville Community Access Television) and the comic books will be on sale. Work is by Matt Reidsma (High Maintenance Machine), Liz Prince (Will You Still Love Me If I Wet the Bed?), Joe Quinones (freelancer to DC Comics, Mad Magazine, Devil's Due Publishing), Maris Wicks (Dots for Eyes), and George Pfromm II (animator and illustrator for print, TV and web including Fox Sports Northwest, New York Times, and Nickelodeon Magazine)

Shenanigans Stage – All the big, messy Fluff games have their own stage this year. MCs are Ed, Fletcher and Charlie, the DJs from WFNX’s morning show The Sandbox.

Fluff Games for All Ages – Including Fluff Lick-Off, Blind Man's Fluff, Pin the F on Fluff Boy, and the game of culinary roulette we call Fluff Fear Factor. Win prizes!

Vendors – Buy Fluff treats and Fluff inspired items from whoopie pies to Fluffernutters. We’ve got special guests including Yelp.com hosting a photo booth, Neighborhood Health Plan offering diabetes screenings, and Groundworks teaching us how to recycle all those leftover Fluff containers!