Somerville's Annual Haitian and Brazilian Festival Returns

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Somerville’s Haitian and Brazilian communities will come together for “Haiti and Brazil Hit The ‘Ville,” a cultural festival on Sunday, Oct. 4, featuring music, dance, food, family-friendly activities and more for the entire community.

The festival, which will bring together two of the largest groups within the wider Somerville community, will take place from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. on the Union Square Plaza.

Music by the Haitian konpa band SKJ Sakaj, and renowned Brazilian forro band Jatir, will fill the square as festival goers feast on traditional foods such as Haitiian fritay and Brazillian churrasco, purchase handmade crafts, and watch performances of Brazilian jiu jit su and more.

The city’s Haitian and Brazilian communities have much in common beyond Somerville, with a budding relationship building over the past two decades between two countries that both celebrate Carnival. Haiti has a love of Brazilian soccer sparked by a 1978 visit by legendary player Pelé to Haiti, while the Brazilian-penned song “Haiti é Aqui” captures the significance of Haiti’s history to Brazilians.

The largest contingent of United Nations soldiers deployed to the stabilization mission in Haiti are Brazilian, while a large number of Haitian immigrants live in Brazil, which was the first country to contribute to the Haiti Reconstruction Fund after the 2010 earthquake that devastated the nation.

The event is hosted by the City’s SomerVIVA immigrant outreach program in partnership with the Somerville Arts Council’s ArtsUnion Project.