Westcott Street Cultural Fair brings neighborhood together despite rainy weather
Westcott Street Cultural Fair brings neighborhood together despite rainy weather
Neighbors turned out for live music, local food, shopping and more at the 33rd annual fair.
Rain didn’t keep Syracuse residents off Westcott Street on Sunday, as the neighborhood celebrated its diversity at the 33rd annual Westcott Street Cultural Fair. Local organizations, businesses, food vendors and live music performers lined the street and joined the parade, followed by an appearance by Syracuse University’s mascot, Otto the Orange.
Beginning back in 1991, the Westcott Street Cultural Fair is entirely community-run, with donations funding the overhead and volunteers in charge of the event setup.
“We do this every year because we love the community,” said Sharon Sherman, chairperson of the fair. “Rain or shine, we put on this event for the people.”
The parade kicked off at noon, marching from the cross streets of Westcott and Euclid over half a mile to the center of the fair. Performances from both the Unity Street Band and Syracuse Community Choir filled the air as people of all ages watched on and cheered.
“I had never heard of this fair before, and I’ve been around Syracuse my whole life,” said Landon Stilz, a Euclid Ave resident and Syracuse University senior. “It was really cool to see so many walks of life celebrating who they are.”
After the parade, the roads opened up to dozens of vendor booths. Local businesses, artists and political activism groups packed both sides of Westcott Street, along with the side streets, to sell products and chat with other members of the community all afternoon.
The local businesses on Westcott Street also got in on the fun. Alto Cinco, a Mexican-style restaurant, sold different styles of empanadas to fairgoers and Westcott Florist gave out flowers and bouquets to booths throughout the day.
Despite going strong for 30-plus years, the Westcott Street Cultural Fair hopes to expand beyond the Westcott neighborhood, inviting the whole city of Syracuse to come out and be members of the community.
“A lot of the time, people find out about my event when it’s going on or a few days after,” said Sherman. “I want people to know a week ahead of time so they can donate, come down and support our group as we continue to do this each year.”
Most of the groups that attend the event and set up booths have been longstanding supporters, hence the call for new faces. However, that sense of familiarity between those who take the time to attend each year has its benefits.
“We’ve been here since the beginning of Trump’s first presidency,” said Peter McCarthy, a member of the Central New York Solidarity Group who had a table at the fair. “Obviously we want to spread our word to new faces each time, but there’s something nice about seeing the same people every year.”
Fair organizers and fairgoers made sure everyone felt included at the event as well. Everywhere you turned at the Westcott Street Cultural Fair, there were LGBTQ+ flags, merchandise with inclusive messages and even rainbow streamers handed out to children.
The Westcott Street Cultural Fair continues to be a trademark of the local community, and no matter what the autumn in New York weather may throw, the residents and businesses make sure to take a day each year to celebrate who they are and where they’re from.
“I’ve only been here {in Syracuse} for a little bit,” said Jared Evans, a member of Table Salt, a local card game group. “Having a place like this to come to and feel connected is incredible. I can’t believe how easily I’ve felt at home thanks to stuff like this.”
is a Digital Producer for The NewsHouse.