{"id":333455,"date":"2026-08-03T14:05:39","date_gmt":"2026-08-03T14:05:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.clevescene.com\/?p=333455"},"modified":"2026-08-03T15:20:09","modified_gmt":"2026-08-03T15:20:09","slug":"hessler-street-fair-returning-in-october-after-seven-year-break","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.clevescene.com\/news\/hessler-street-fair-returning-in-october-after-seven-year-break\/","title":{"rendered":"Hessler Street Fair Returning in October After Seven-Year Break"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

New York has its Woodstock. San Francisco, its Pop Festival. And Nevada its Burning Man.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And for decades, Cleveland had its own festival of counter-culture, the Hessler Street Fair, a weekend of good vibes and music nestled on the L-shaped, brick-laden street adjacent to Case Western Reserve University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But not for the past seven years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s about to change this fall, when the Hessler makes its welcome return to University Circle. On October 3, a handful of bands and some 40 artists will convene to usher in a new era of both the fest and what the fest means for the block.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cTo put it briefly, we miss it,\u201d Sydney Slacas, a board member of the Hessler Neighborhood Association, told Scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cYou know, everyone\u2019s in a good mood, people dance, look at art, run into people they haven\u2019t seen in the past year,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s just that communal spirit of people coming together to enjoy themselves and have a good time.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Started in 1969<\/a> by a tight-knit band of neighbors, the Street Fair was a community tool to protest Case Western\u2019s expansion. It soon formalized as the Hessler Neighborhood Association, a body that refused to allow the street\u2019s landlords to intentionally depreciate home values in a bid to profit in a deal to a land-hungry university.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The HNA scored a big win in 1975. Hessler Street became Cleveland\u2019s first official historic district, a title that allowed the block to fend off any major changes. The HNA\u2019s annual fair fueled a way of promoting local culture that in turn helped fund ongoing maintenance and expected upkeep.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A dearth of organizers and money led to a ten-year hiatus, in 1985. Until the Hessler\u2019s 50th anniversary in 2019, its hosts routinely balanced the work of the Street Fair\u2019s upfront costs\u2014permits, insurance, parking \u2014with its beloved qualities: its kaleidoscopic buses, its jam bands, its iconic lemonade. (A family secret recipe.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Typically a multi-day festival held close to Memorial Day weekend, this year\u2019s Hessler will span seven hours on October 3.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n\n\n\n
\"\"<\/figure>\n
Left, Timothy Smith stands in front of the house on Hessler Street he grew up in. Right, members of the Hessler Neighborhood Association: Matthew Canel, Kristina Collins and Sydney Slacas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s why we\u2019re calling it a soft reboot,\u201d Timothy Smith, a produce salesman and bass player who grew up on Hessler Street, told Scene.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s just one day, but we\u2019re gonna try and bring as much of what you remember from the Fair back into as we can,\u201d he added, \u201cwithout overstressing our limited labor and funds.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Along with holding an organizer role, Smith had lately played cane-wielding historian and advisor to a re-energized HNA committee, mostly twentysomethings that have some sort of connection to the street.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Jolted by the Cleveland Planning Commission\u2019s okay of a new apartment complex\u2014the first in a century\u2014the HNA funneled irritation into a new pathway for Hessler\u2019s upkeep. (The land was former host of the Little Hessler Museum.) A community garden formed. New street trees were planted. Hessler Court\u2019s famous wooden bricks were, after the HNA\u2019s push, replaced in 2024<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In tandem with a new website<\/a>, the team began accepting donations and grants, including one from NEOMA, to revive the Street Fair with an air of professionalism. This year\u2019s the first ever performing bands \u201cwill be paid by and large.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Slated for performance so far are Hello 3D, the Jim Miller Band, Charlie Mosbrook & Friends, Country Honk, Hoodoo BBQ and Austin Walkin\u2019 Cane. About 40 artists and vendors will be set up throughout the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If October 3 goes well, the HNA told Scene the Hessler could expand back into a multi-day fest and grow its artist count.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But before any predictions are slotted, the team simply wants to put on a really tremendous party once again. While reminding themselves it isn\u2019t 1969. Or 1995. Or 2019, for that matter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI think that Hessler as an organism does, like everything else around it, does kind of have to either evolve or die,\u201d Kristina Collins, a board member who\u2019s lived on the street since 2012, said. \u201cHey, I\u2019m just excited for it to get together.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt\u2019s going to be a family reunion,\u201d Smith added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Definitely for those who recall the first.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cThere\u2019s nothing wrong with tradition,\u201d he said. \u201cTradition creates community. Tradition creates memory. And tradition creates connection.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Subscribe to Cleveland Scene newsletters.<\/a>

Follow us: Apple News<\/a> | Google News<\/a> | NewsBreak<\/a> | Reddit<\/a> | Instagram<\/a> | Facebook<\/a> | Twitter<\/a> | Or sign up for our RSS Feed<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

New York has its Woodstock. San Francisco, its Pop Festival. And Nevada its Burning Man. And for decades, Cleveland had its own festival of counter-culture, the Hessler Street Fair, a weekend of good vibes and music nestled on the L-shaped, brick-laden street adjacent to Case Western Reserve University. But not for the past seven years. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":333457,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"newspack_ads_suppress_ads":false,"newspack_popups_has_disabled_popups":false,"newspack_sponsor_sponsorship_scope":"","newspack_sponsor_native_byline_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_native_category_display":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_style":"inherit","newspack_sponsor_underwriter_placement":"inherit","apple_news_api_created_at":"2026-08-03T14:05:44Z","apple_news_api_id":"aa10b28d-01e1-44a6-b73b-73d0b154b173","apple_news_api_modified_at":"2026-08-03T15:20:07Z","apple_news_api_revision":"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAQ==","apple_news_api_share_url":"https:\/\/apple.news\/AqhCyjQHhRKa3O3PQsVSxcw","apple_news_cover_media_provider":"image","apple_news_coverimage":0,"apple_news_coverimage_caption":"","apple_news_cover_video_id":0,"apple_news_cover_video_url":"","apple_news_cover_embedwebvideo_url":"","apple_news_is_hidden":"","apple_news_is_paid":"","apple_news_is_preview":"","apple_news_is_sponsored":"","apple_news_maturity_rating":"","apple_news_metadata":"\"\"","apple_news_pullquote":"","apple_news_pullquote_position":"","apple_news_slug":"","apple_news_sections":["https:\/\/news-api.apple.com\/sections\/09551bb6-65e4-48a4-92e6-844c5c570ad6","https:\/\/news-api.apple.com\/sections\/171984f9-9691-4b59-9ad1-a7131ea0c853","https:\/\/news-api.apple.com\/sections\/f09c8d1a-c48c-4206-aa6f-12347364a1b0"],"apple_news_suppress_video_url":false,"apple_news_use_image_component":false,"newspack_collection_is_cover_story":false,"newspack_collection_post_order":0,"_newspack_byline_active":false,"_newspack_byline":"","newspack_hide_updated_date":false,"newspack_show_updated_date":false,"newspack_featured_image_position":"","newspack_post_subtitle":"An energetic team of 10 at the Hessler Neighborhood Association is planning a \"soft reboot\" of Cleveland's classic counter-culture festival.","newspack_article_summary_title":"Overview:","newspack_article_summary":"","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[20,109,106,23],"tags":[44170,3215,44169,459],"newspack_collection_taxonomy":[],"newspack_collection_section":[],"newspack_spnsrs_tax":[],"coauthors":[134],"class_list":["post-333455","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-arts","category-arts-stories-and-interviews","category-cleveland-news","category-news","tag-hessler-neighborhood-association","tag-hessler-street-fair","tag-timothy-smith","tag-university-circle","entry"],"apple_news_notices":[],"yoast_head":"\nHessler Street Fair Returning in October After Seven-Year Break - Cleveland Scene<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Hessler Street Fair Returning in October After 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But this year, for the first time, the University Circle event moved to the weekend after Memorial Day Weekend to accommodate space and parking. 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Photos courtesy of Emanuel Wallace","rel":"","context":"In "Arts & Culture"","block_context":{"text":"Arts & Culture","link":"https:\/\/www.clevescene.com\/category\/arts\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clevescene.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/enp-30240.webp.webp?fit=950%2C633&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clevescene.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/enp-30240.webp.webp?fit=950%2C633&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clevescene.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/enp-30240.webp.webp?fit=950%2C633&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.clevescene.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/05\/enp-30240.webp.webp?fit=950%2C633&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":225472,"url":"https:\/\/www.clevescene.com\/news\/hessler-street-fair-returns-to-cleveland-this-weekend-4310728\/","url_meta":{"origin":333455,"position":3},"title":"Hessler Street Fair Returns to Cleveland This Weekend","author":"Alaina Nutile","date":"May 12, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"We can all use more excuses to eat, drink, and be merry outdoors, and luckily Clevelanders will have an opportunity to do just that this upcoming weekend. 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