This Labor Day weekend, a Gainesville festival will focus on the working class.
The second annual Labor Daze Fest will be held Sept. 2 from 5 p.m. to 10 p.m. at the Bo Diddley Community Plaza, 111 E. University Ave. The event is free and open to the public.
The festival will include five bands, a rock wall, free massages and vendors from across the city, but the purpose of the event is to connect blue-collar workers with essential services.
“I want people to leave feeling empowered,” said event coordinator Trisha Ingle.
About 40 vendors will be at the festival, and there will be typical festival fare like face painting and food.
Food will be provided by Hoggtowne Lemonade and Karma Cream, information booths will range from activism to political information, and services will include information on job training and after-school child care.
What makes this festival different, Ingle said, is its focus on bringing the working class together to enhance its sense of community and to engage in a dialogue about what it can do to change its city and the world.
Contact Meredith Rutland at mrutland@alligator.org.
