Harvest Festival Returns To Harlem For 9th Year

HARLEM, NY — More than 50 Harlem artists and produce vendors are signed on for this year's Harlem Harvest Fest, which is set to return to the neighborhood in October, the festival's organizers announced.

The ninth Harlem Harvest Festival will be held Saturday, Oct. 6 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Festival goers will be treated to samples from local vendors whose products can be found in stores such as Whole Foods Market, Bloomingdale’s, Fairway and Fresh Direct, festival organizers said. The festival takes place on St. Nicholas Avenue between West 117th and 118th streets.

The festival was created to bring artisan products not commonly found in Harlem into the neighborhood to be sold in a family-friend environment, but has morphed into more of a showcase of Harlem's local vendors.

"We created the Harvest Festival to address a deficiency in the accessibility of healthy, artisanal, locally produced food and beverage options, as well as to support our local businesses by providing a platform for them to reach a larger clientele. Initially, most of our artisanal vendors were not from the community, but from upstate," Harlem Park to Park Executive Director Nikoa Evans-Hendricks said in a statement.

"To see the event reach a point where the festival is now completely made up of locally Harlem produced products is an amazing community accomplishment that we are all so proud to share with our neighbors and visitors."

A large part of the festival's growth is attributed to Harlem Park to Park's Harlem Local Vendor Program — an accelerator program for local businesses launched with partners such as the Columbia University Business School, Hot Bread Kitchen, the Harlem Community Development Corporation and the West Harlem Development Corporation.

Products such as food, clothing, lifestyle products and home good will be on sale during the festival. Kids attending the festival will also be able to participate in events such as face painting, cooking demos and a pumpkin decorating station.

Entertainment scheduled for the Harlem Harvest Festival includes live music throughout the day and the Harvest Bake Off, which will award prizes to local bakers for the best cake, cookie, pie and brownie.

Photo by Ashley Ludwig/Patch