As the sun shone down in the early afternoon on Sept. 14, Northampton’s Main Street bustled with crowds of smiling people. Live music echoed through the street, the smell of food filling the air. For the third year in a row, the Downtown Northampton Association (DNA) hosted the Taste of Northampton festival — an event designed for local restaurants and businesses to present select products to the community.
The festival, which ran from 12:00 to 8:00 p.m., featured more than 25 booths, including Woodstar Cafe, High Brow, Progression Brewing Company, Tandem Bagels, Masa Mexicano and Herrell’s Ice Cream. Ali Garcia-Pollis ’27 stumbled across the festival by mistake.
“It’s our friend’s birthday so we came down to get Herrel’s but then this was, like, a lovely surprise,” she said. “There are a lot of restaurants. I was expecting more of a fair situation like with fried dough and stuff but this is nice.”
For Kendra Oberg ’26, who was in line for mocktails from Eastside Grille’s booth, the festival was not a surprise. “We usually go every year so it’s just kind of like a tradition at this point […] I feel like it’s a good thing like in the first couple weeks of getting back to sort of just connect with the Northampton community outside of other Smithies,” she said.
Taste of Northampton was first held in the 1990s before it stopped in 2004. The festival was an offshoot of a larger series of “Taste” festivals originating with “Taste of Chicago” created by restaurateur Arnie Morton in 1980. Springfield, Westfield and Holyoke also held taste festivals during the 80s and 90s. Eventually, the festivals, which were then four day events, began to face challenges and dipped in popularity. It was difficult to organize outdoor venues big enough to hold the event, in addition to the fact that they were dependent on the weather. Restaurants also became less interested in participating as some did not want to lose valuable staff members to the festival on weekends, and participating in the festival often resulted in high expenses that did not always translate to profit.
The DNA brought the festival back in 2022 with the help of a grant from the Massachusetts Regional Economic Development Organization following the end of COVID-19 shut downs in an effort to uplift local businesses and the community. In 2023, the festival drew approximately 12,000 people.
Stacia Potter, the owner of Flowerwork Farm, noted the festival’s positive impact on her business, which sells sustainable floral arrangements at a seasonal farmstand in Florence. “This is our third year here and it’s been great […] I really like connecting with people. Last year I met a bride and then they hired me to do the wedding so [the festival is] a really fun way to come out and meet people and tell them about what fresh flowers are like,” Potter said.
At Taste of Northampton, Potter sells mini bouquets in small glass vases, which she says are popular among Smith students. “I get a lot of Smith students who are like ‘oh my god I want flowers in my room’ and then the little vases are perfect because who brings a vase to college?” she said.
Deborah Moggio, who ran a booth for Brits R U.S., explained how the festival helps spread the word about the shop. “[Taste of Northampton] lets people know as well, people are like ‘where’s your shop?’” Moggio said.
Beyond the opportunities Taste of Northampton brings to local business owners, it also showcases local artists through its set of live music presented by the Northampton Arts Council. Singer, songwriter and Northampton native Hannah Mohan performed with a band at the festival. Mohan recently released her first solo album, “Time Is A Walnut,” following an eight-year-long career with the Indie-Pop band And The Kids.
During her set at Taste of Northampton, Mohan sang a cover of the song “Archie, Marry Me” by the band Alvvays, during which a large crowd gathered and many sang along, some buying her merch after the fact. “I’m just feeling really good and in high spirits so it feels good to give that energy and get that energy,” Mohan said after her show. Since launching her solo career, Mohan has performed at various community events, where she says she encounters many familiar faces. “I think it’s so fun [and] cool because I’ll see people that I know and people that I don’t or people that have seen me for years, it’s just good to see people,” she says. In addition to Mohan, artists Avery Joi, Mal Maiz and DJ REC performed throughout the festival.
For artists, business owners and residents alike Taste of Northampton has fostered an undeniable connection. Northampton residents Joe and Carla Ross spoke fondly of their first year at the festival. “It’s wonderful to have it on a beautiful sunny day and just to see all the people out here and see their animals. We’ve bumped into neighbors and we’ve met other people from the area who have totally different lives,” Carla Ross says. “It’s nice to see the downtown area so lively, most of the time it’s not like this or hasn’t been since COVID-19,” Joe Ross said. Taste of Northampton will return again in 2025.
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