FLINT, MI — On a two-block stretch of First Street in downtown Flint, residents, musicians and local businesses gathered Saturday for the return of Glizzy Fest.
The festival, which hosts local musical talent and business vendors from across the community, was inaugurated last year. This year, he returned with a smaller festival and new musicians.
Glizzy Fest took place on August 6 on First Street between Saginaw and Beach Streets, as well as Buckham Alley between First and Second Streets. CJ The DJ was the master of ceremonies and DJ Hype, a musician from Flint, DJed the event.
More than 18 different merchandise and food vendors had booths set up on the festival grounds.
Kerale Cayton started the festival last year. The name glizzy, a slang term sometimes used to refer to hot dogs, was chosen as a joke after one of Cayton’s friends called him a “glizzy gobbler.”
Last year, Cayton was able to do the festival with the help of sponsors. This year, aside from a donation from her mother Kesha Horton, Cayton organized the festival independently.
“There are a lot of rigs in Flint, but they’re like little pop-ups,” Cayton said. “Or they are small things that are not necessarily a production. Being able to give them this production and this stage to perform on is a good feeling.”
The music lineup started young at 5 pm with Flint musician Lit Lina, an 8-year-old rapper who has been rapping since she was 2 years old. After that, the musicians performed back-to-back until the end of the festival.
In Buckham Alley, a toddler zone was set up with bouncy bounce houses and an ice blaster set from local company Unique Jellyball.
Last year, none of the vendors sold hotdogs. This year, several stands had the shows of the same name on their cards. including Amber With The Food, a local business that sold its hot dogs with macaroni and cheese and baked beans.
