Hundreds of vendors selling jewelry, clothing and artwork will offer up their wares from booths set up along three blocks of Honolulu Avenue within the shopping park, said Dee Ovendun, festival coordinator. Honolulu Avenue will be closed to vehicle traffic from the 2200 to the 2400 block.
About 35,000 people are expected to stroll through the festival this weekend, Ovendun said.
“It’s one of the biggest events around,” she said. “It’s just grown and grown.”
About 20 food vendors will offer snacks and meals, association members said, as varied as tamales, popcorn and barbecue.
At Honolulu Avenue and Ocean View Boulevard, children will be able to romp through the Kid’s Zone, a play area featuring an obstacle course, slides and pony rides, Ovendun said.
“There’s just so much to do there for the whole family because it is a family event,” she said.
Honolulu Avenue and Ocean View will also be the site of the festival’s live entertainment, with performances by groups like Gremoli, a New Orleans-style jazz band, and The Martini Kings, a retro lounge combo.
On Sunday, the Montrose Harvest Market will sell organic produce and baked goods.
The two-day festival is a great way to introduce thousands of people to the Montrose Shopping Park, Palacios said.
“A lot of people come from far and wide to see us,” she said. “We love to have new people find us.”
The annual event is the association’s one real fundraising event of the year, said Glendale Mayor John Drayman, a member of the shopping park association.
Proceeds from the event go to financing physical improvement to the shopping park, doing public outreach for the association and holding other community events in the area, he said.
The festival nets about $45,000 each year, he said.
