The Somerville Arts Council presents Ignite: A Global Street Food & Fire Festival

About the Event: To celebrate Union Square’s sizzling food landscape we bring you: Ignite, an evening of international eats, fire throwers, roving entertainment, and a raucous celebration of global culture. We’ll have double the food vendors this year, including Pikliz International Kitchen, Casa B, India Palace, Cantina La Mexicana, Union Square Pizza, El Mineirao, Machu Picchu, Momo ‘n Curry, Bao Nation, Dosa ‘n Curry, Union Square Donuts, Gracie’s Ice Cream, and the Arts Council’s Nibble Culinary Entrepreneurs (Venezuelan arepas and Mexican agua frescas).

There will also be food demos (including Jose Garcia of Ebi Sushi, Nora Cabrera of La Internacional, plus KrautChi, Arepas, and Haitian blow-torch sugar art), a “Global Snack Attack” guessing game, food-related crafts for kids, the “Nose Olympics!” and more. Beyond the global grazing opportunities, the Boston Circus Guild will dance with fire; there will be craft vendors and numerous performers, including Xuchipilli Folkloric Ballet, belly dancers, taiko drumming by Odaiko New England, magician Darren Yong, singer and ukelele player Gracie Givertz, Keytar Bear, a Haitian RaRa band, and more!  And don’t forget to bring a contribution to the festival’s first canned food drive, benefiting the Somerville Homeless Coalition! It’s easy-- just bring a can or two of food to the festival.

Road Closures: Walk, bike or take public transport if at all possible! Two travel lanes on Somerville Ave. between Prospect and Webster,  closest to the plaza, will be closed to traffic. The outside two lanes will accommodate two-way traffic. Webster Ave will accommodate one lane of traffic towards Prospect St.  Prospect St. will be one lane as usual.

About Nibble: A Somerville Arts Council culinary initiative that grew out of our ArtsUnion Project. Nibble includes Union Square market tours, cooking classes, pop-up restaurants, food festivals, a Nibble blog and book, and the Nibble Culinary Entrepreneurship Program. Nibble supports immigrant communities, celebrates cultural exchange and spurs cultural economic development. For much more info, visit www.somervilleartscouncil.org/nibble

About ArtsUnion:  A Spotlight on the Culture and Diversity of Union Square
Now in its 11th year, ArtsUnion has been instrumental in reinvigorating the artistic and business landscape of Union Square. ArtsUnion presents numerous events and markets, and leads cultural tours. In addition, ArtsUnion has com­missioned temporary art installations, commissioned artisans to fabricate street furniture and has been instrumental in creating zoning incentives for arts-related development in the square. The Somerville Arts Council and the Mayor’s Office of Strategic Planning and Community Development created ArtsUnion, in partnership with numerous other local organizations through funding from the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s John and Abigail Adams Program and the City of Somerville.