Every year, the Union Square Main Streets calls all lovers of Marshmallow Fluff to attend an event that celebrates the anniversary of the locally-inented treat. The fifth annual “What the Fluff?” Festival takes place in Somerville’s Union Square this Saturday, from 3pm to 7pm.
The event will includes games for kids and adults, cooking contests, souvenirs, and live performances by local music and dance groups, according to the festival’s web site. It will offer a host of fluff-related foods, from Fluffernutters to savory creations to marshmallow cocktails. But Fluff is not the only thing being honored this time around. This year’s full theme is “Whoopie (Pie!) What the Fluff?” and will celebrate the marshmallow-based cake-and-cream sandwiches; so expect Whoopie Pie themed food and shenanigans, as well.
Current festival-runner Mimi Graney told the Quad in a phone interview that she conceived the idea for the festival when she worked as a local tour guide. She frequently took groups past the home of Marshmallow Fluff inventor Archibald Query, and found that tourists were interested in the story. So one year, she pitched the idea for an event based on the treat to the Union Square Main Streets. “People were in love with the idea,” Graney said. “They think of it as a comfort food. It catered to nostalgia.” She was confident that the event would be a hit.
She was right. Since the first year, the “What the Fluff?” Festival has drawn in people of all ages, and Graney is not surprised by the variety of Fluff fans. “It’s got a universal appeal. We get a lot of serious people coming for the cooking contest. Kids really love the games. And the hipster crowd loves the music, and the fluff cocktails.” The crowd has been growing every year as well. “It’s been doubling every year,” said Graney. “Last year there was a complaint that it was too crowded. So each year, we’re expanding and taking over a little bit more territory.”
And however many people come to enjoy the sweet treats, just as many are drawn in by the promise of kitsch fun. Last year, there was a Fluff-based science fair. There is currently a creative-submission contest, the winner of which will be crowned the Fabulous Fluff Pharaoh. Graney and everyone else at the Union Square Main Streets welcome participation and enthusiasm from those who attend. Costumes, especially, are strongly encouraged.
Somerville might seem far, but “What the Fluff?” is well worth the bus ride. Take the Green Line to Lechmere and take the 87 Bus to Union Square, or the Red Line to Harvard and hop the 86 to Union Square.
