Maplewood/South Orange Funk Fest Saturday To Feature Music, Food

MAPLEWOOD, NJ — The first annual MAPSO (Maplewood-South Orange) Funk Fest has been scheduled for this Saturday, featuring local talent, vendors, wellness activities, food, and music.

The "celebration of diversity, wellness, creativity, and local business" will run from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Saturday.

MapsoFunkFest.com will have the latest updates and changes.

"Many small brands have been faced with big challenges," noted the organizers. "This day is an opportunity to revive the flavor of our neighborhood, invigorate local hand-picked restaurants, and remind people of the rich culture we're surrounded by."

Organizers describe the afternoon as "a carefully curated event, designed to bring people together through Good Food, Good Music and Great Vibes. It was created to celebrate our multicultural community, providing a space to spotlight a range of local businesses and creatives while having some fun with the entire family!"

The organizers elaborated:

"Funk Fest will be a vibrant event where people of all backgrounds and ages are welcome to enjoy funk, house & soul music, local restaurants and talent, while connecting with friends, family, and the community," they said. "It will be a free flowing event with picnic blankets welcome. MAPSO Funk Fest prioritizes the inclusion of Black, minority, women, and LGBTQ+ owned entities for optimal representation."

Local restaurants will be participating in the food tasting, for which you may purchase tickets and sample a number of vendors' menu items. There will be a few local DJs and a live band performance at the gazebo, with food, wellness and artisan vendor booths surrounding the park.

There will be kid friendly vendors and activities as well as mini workshops throughout the day.

The beer garden will be hosted by the exclusive craft beer provider, Montclair Brewery. Please bring ID in order to be wristbanded and purchase beer garden tickets.

The event is being sponsored by Blackstock & Weber, Springfield Avenue Maplewood, and Berkshire Hathaway Real Estate agent Maria Morrison Heningburg. Other community partners include Inspired Dream Real Estate, Maplewood Bike Shed, Words Bookstore, Finlay + Gage Music Instruments, and Blue Life Karate.

The event takes place at the Springfield Avenue Gazebo, 1668 Springfield Ave., Maplewood.

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