Be sure to tune in to the virtual edition of the Fluff Fest this coming Saturday. — Photo courtesy of Union Square Main Streets

By Isabel Sami

The first-ever virtual Fluff Fest takes place this Saturday, September 12. “In Fluff We Trust: Sticking Together Thru Fluff” is an all-day event viewable in the comfort of your home on the Fluff Fest website (https://www.flufffestival.com/). The beloved community tradition will be accessible to Somerville residents past and present, as people around the world will be able to view the events online for the first time in its 15-year history.

At 11:00 a.m., demos and tutorials for games will go live on the website, with challenges such as making a “Fluffernutter” sandwich (marshmallow fluff and peanut butter) blindfolded. Following the “sticky fun at home” is a livestream at 6:00 p.m., hosted by former Somerville Media Center employee Erica Jones and other local festival representatives, who will announce the winners of the Fluff Hairdo contest and the Fluff Fear Factor contest.

While no events will be held in Union Square on Saturday, all the video content found on the Fluff Fest website was filmed in Union Square businesses, such as Play Union and Parkour Generations. Restaurants and shops worked with Union Square Main Streets to stay involved in the annual event that usually brings about 20,000 people to the Somerville square, using employees and business owners as models in the game demos.

“What we wanted to do as much as possible with Fluff Fest this year is spotlight businesses,” USMS director Jessica Eshleman said. “So a lot of this programming is going to be streaming from Union Square businesses.”

During the livestream, local bands will be performing, with a dynamic lineup of vocal performers that span musical genres. “To tell the story of small businesses in Union Square, what we did was we’ve recorded these performances in Union Square venues,” Eshleman said. Performances were recorded at Sally O’Brien’s, the Jungle Community Music Club, and New Alliance East to spotlight Somerville venues that have been closed since the pandemic began.

Fluff was invented in 1917 in Somerville by a man named Archibald Query, and since 2005 the Fluff Festival has honored him with an Archibald Query impersonator who hosts the “Shenanigans Stage” where messy games take place. Though the games and festivities are virtual this year, the beloved impersonator will be featured in the videos to explain games and challenges to participants.

To conclude the event, Aeronaut brewing is hosting virtual Fluff trivia at 8pm. Aeronaut founders Ronn Friedlander and Dan Rassi developed a trivia app specifically for Fluff Fest to allow anyone to play along and answer questions about Union Square businesses and Fluff.

“The irony of this – or the beautiful thing, I would say – is the name of this festival this year is the ‘What the Fluff Festival: a tribute to innovation in Union Square.’ And so for Aeronaut to be able to respond so quickly in a COVID climate, to create this trivia platform, is this beautiful illustration of the type of innovation that this festival celebrates,” Eshleman said. “You look at Greentown Labs, Artisan’s Asylum – we have these communities of incredible makers and innovators who are innovating every single day, and this trivia platform is just such a complete illustration of it. It’s really fitting for us to be incorporating that into this year’s festivities.”

Businesses that offer Fluff themed menu items can be found on the website as well, and Somerville residents are encouraged to order take-out or delivery from the restaurants and shops involved in the Fluff Festival. Many local stores are already selling Fluff items, such as Union Square doughnuts with their Fluffernutter donut. An online marketplace of vendors will also be featured on the website, where retailers will be selling Fluff items like pins and t-shirts. Supporting these businesses is always a priority for Fluff Fest organizers, but this year they really worked to involve the community in the virtual festival.

The morning of the event Fluff organizers will be posting actively on their Instagram and Facebook, where the community can ask questions.

Organizers want to emphasize to viewers that activities are to be done at home, and people should not gather for events. Order some take-out from Union Square, buy a couple tubs of Fluff, and enjoy the festivities and celebration of innovation from home.