Building Community Through Tradition: Amherst College’s Fall Festival

Author

Austin Huot, Director of Conferences and Special Events, Amherst College

If you’ve been to New England in the fall, chances are you’ve attended a festival celebrating this beloved season. As New England’s iconic fall foliage became a tourist draw in the mid-1900s, towns began hosting events that showcased local food, crafts, and scenic beauty. 

Today’s New England fall festivals often combine historic traditions with culinary innovation. A prominent example is The Big E, an annual fair held in West Springfield, Massachusetts, which highlights the best of New England and attracts more than 1.5 million people each year. 
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In 2013, the president of Amherst College, a small private liberal arts college in Amherst, Massachusetts, leveraged the creativity of the Office of Conferences and Special Events to establish a new campus tradition: Fall Festival. The goal was to create a celebration that would bring together students, faculty, staff, and families—many of whom are new to New England—and share the flavors and spirit of the season.

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