Fluff Fest Turns Union Square Into Somerville's Sweetest, Most Eclectic Runway

Events
Written By Sonny Oram

Is this a neighborhood block party or Fall Fashion week, you might wonder, walking down the streets of Union Square Somerville today, Saturday September 19, 2026.

Straw hats, lace-up vests, paint-splattered jeans, chain necklaces, pleated mini skirts, anime and K-fashion influences lined the streets for a very special occasion: Fluff Fest. You heard me. An entire festival dedicated to Marshmallow Fluff.

The beloved snack was invented right here in Union Square in 1917 by Archibald Query. He sold it door-to-door selling the company for $500 in 1920 (Ouch…) The recipe became the famous Marshmallow Fluff brand, now sold across the world.

The What the Fluff? Festival began in Union Square in 2006 to celebrate the neighborhood's quirky history and encourage community activity, becoming a whinsical celebration of the beloved snack food that, apparently, can go with everything.

Today, I met people visiting from New York City just to get a taste for themselves and took some photos of my favorite fits and designs, ducking out just before the crowd allegedly got sprayed with fluff.

Bow St Market

Anti-fascism stickers

Boston-themed stickers

Fluff key chains by Amar & Riley

Jenny, co-owner, Nostalgia Vintage Cafe

Phil, co-owner, Nostalgia Vintage Cafe

Fluff accessories by Little Well Creations

Siam Ginger Thai Cafe Desserts

Mystery fortunes and stickers

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Sonny Oram

Sonny Oram is the founder of Qwear, a leading voice in the queer fashion movement for more than 15 years, and the author of the foreword to Queer and Trans Fashion Brands: Resistance and Revolution in the 21st Century (Bloomsbury Academic, 2025). His work has been featured in major media outlets including HuffPost, BuzzFeed, Design*Sponge, and QTYPE Magazine. In 2016, he spoke at South by Southwest as part of the first official queer fashion panel.

Through Qwear, Sonny has launched influential campaigns, including the award-winning #ThisIsWhatAsexualLooksLike with Yasmin Benoit, and continues to create spaces for underrepresented communities across internet and print media. He has also used search engine optimization (SEO) to increase the visibility and diversity of queer representation in online search results, helping terms such as “androgynous style,” “bisexual style,” and “asexual” reflect a broader range of identities and experiences.

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