Published on NBC29
Tom Tom Founders Festival Holding Block Party at Charlottesville Park
Charlottesville is kicking off a weekend of events being made possible by the Tom Tom Founders Festival (TTFF).
Eleven bands and nearly 100 food, drink and craft vendors are coming together for the fourth annual fall block party at Ix Park.
“It’s a party but it’s a lot more than that,” said Paul Beyer with TTFF. He adds, “There’s always an undercurrent, and I think it’s very important to the festival, that it’s about celebrating founders.”
“It has culture, it has an edge. It has entrepreneurship. It has innovation,” said Scitent Cofounder Deb McMahon.
Friday, nine people from the area were honored with the Founding C-ville Award for their creativity and entrepreneurship. McMahon took home one of those awards.
“I feel so lucky because there’s so many really innovative people here, and people who have given so much to the community, who have been entrepreneurial, who have been creative, who have really changed Charlottesville,” she said.
A tech “mixer” also drew more than 50 technology firms from the region.
“It’s a very dynamic scene. We’re having a startup trip with universities from across the state sending their best students to come mix with them,” Beyer said.
More than 6,000 people came out to last year’s block park.
Saturday’s TTFF block party also features a huge pop-up market of handcrafted and vintage goods.