Wondering why your neighbors weren’t mowing the lawn at 9am this past Saturday? Check your calendar.

That’s right. It was the Madison Street Festival.

Both Bob Jones’ and James Clemens’ marching bands participated in the parade, opening the event at 9am with excitement.

This year, as the Madison Street Festival celebrated its 33rd birthday, people from Huntsville, Madison, and the surrounding area all shuffled to downtown Madison for food, art, and more.

Last year, Namena Bojang, now a senior at Bob Jones High School, won first place for a self portrait that was exhibited at the festival. Unfortunately, she was unable to attend to see her art win.

This year, though, she helped set up the BJHS art tent in addition to showcasing her artwork.

“The Madison Street Festival, for me, means branching out to different multicultural subjects such as music and fine arts, and having fun with the people you love,” Bojang states.

“The time I spent at the festival was amazing! [I was able to] roam around the street and view other peoples’ art and spend time with my friends.”

According to The Huntsville Times, this 33rd annual Madison Street Festival featured nineteen food vendors and twenty-six artisans, along with two stages for live performers. AL.com states that the festival had thirty sponsors in all this year.

With all these contributors, the parameters of the festival easily extended far beyond the downtown Madison area.

Hannah Guice, Madison resident, expresses how she has always enjoyed the festival and how she secretly awaited its arrival this year.

“Whether coming home for a short visit from school, taking off work for the day, or taking kids to get their faces painted, the Madison Street Festival always makes Madison seem like a home more than just a large community.

“If you ever want to see what your city is truly made up of, go to a street festival.”

The culture of Madison bubbled with face-painting, freshly made kettle corn and snow cones, caricature drawings, petting zoos, and more on October 5th.

“Based on my experience this weekend,” Bojang comments,  “I will surely be back in the future.”