After being canceled due to COVID-19 in 2020, ClovisFest was back for its 46th year over the weekend.
The Chukchansi Gold Resort and Casino ClovisFest began with the Noble Credit Union Hot Air Balloon Fun Fly. Hundreds gathered Saturday and Sunday morning before sunrise to watch the hot air balloons set up, inflate and lift off.
ClovisFest ran from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. after the hot air balloon take-off, covering twelve city blocks that contained over 250 craft and commercial vendor booths.
Numerous family friendly activities packed the blocks, including carnival rides, inflatable attractions, a petting zoo, mini horse rides, train rides and a rock climbing wall.
Fan favorite festival foods like cotton candy, kettle korn and cinnamon rolls were available, and popular food trucks such as Twisted Masala and Hot Dog on a Stick showed up as well. There was a beer garden for visitors 21+.
Richard Woods, a Fresno State graduate, attended the festival and welcomed the opportunity to go out with his family.
“Over the past year there just hasn’t been that much to do, being locked up with quarantine all the time, you know? The kids get rowdy, me and my wife get tired of being inside all the time. It’s nice to get out around other people and do something different,” Woods said.
ClovisFest once again celebrated various cultures with its International Village, which included a passport handout encouraging attendees to visit each participating cultural booth to collect stamps for a prize.
The International Village included performances from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with a different group taking the stage each half hour.
The Celtic Motion Dance Company kicked off the performances for 2021. Ben Anderson said their company was a regular at ClovisFest.
Anderson, a son of Fresno State alumni and potential future Bulldog himself, drummed, sang and danced for the performance. His sister, the director of the Celtic Motion Dance Company, had joined the team at only seven years old, and he’d been helping out since.
Anderson enjoyed the opportunity to perform traditional Celtic pieces with other cultural performers.
“It’s usually a variety of cultures, it’s always great,” he said.
Other performers included the Clovis Heiwa Taiko, Sikh Women’s Organization, Ntxhais Ntxhee Yeer, and more.
New to ClovisFest this year was the Made in Clovis section, with over 50 local vendors showcasing their unique skills to the public. During this event, selected participants were even visited by local leaders and mentors to appraise their product and potentially receive follow-up training and advice to expand their innovation.
The Children’s Business Fair, another newcomer to ClovisFest, presented the next generation of entrepreneurs.
Elementary student Maikaya Bunton used the opportunity to sell her handmade lip glosses. After struggling with candles Bunton found her footing with lip gloss, which she’d been working on for a year.
“The process really is fun,” said Bunton, whose lip glosses are available for order on Instagram, @m.ks_glosses.
Her family, a group of Fresno State football fans, came out to support Bunton’s entrepreneurship, calling it “a good opportunity to network.”
ClovisFest posted several COVID-19 regulations for entrance, including physical distancing and mask requirements. However, the majority of attendees were not seen complying with these regulations. There was no visible enforcement of the regulations.