The Zucchini Fest was founded in 1983, to create a fun, family-oriented event and to raise funds for local non-profit organizations and charities. The Zucchini Fest has been successful on both counts; it attracts nearly 20,000 to 30,000 children, parents and grandparents each year and has raised and distributed approximately $2,000,000 to local charities and non-profit organizations over the last twenty years.
The Zucchini Fest has always been a quality family event. A 1991 Exit Poll showed families accounted for over 2/3 of attendees. The average annual income was approximately $40,000 and 60% own or use credit cards. By all marketing standards, this is, indeed, a valued target audience.
The spring of 1983 was a low-economic period in the nation and in Hayward. There were plant closures and city funding to some non-profit organizations has been necessarily cut. There was a need to bolster the spirits of the people, provide a source of revenue for community groups, create a sense of pride and sport of cooperation in the community and, most importantly, find something fun, different and exciting to do right here in our own backyard.
Several local leaders, including Mayor Alex Giuliani, shared these concerns. They considered the various festivals and events held in other cities and laughingly hit upon a festival honoring the most prolific and versatile vegetable, the ZUCCHINI. Hayward Community Gardens confirmed the fact that a lot of people in Hayward had gardens and most of those gardens grew zucchini.
Thus, the Hayward Zucchini Festival, renamed Zucchini Fest, was born. The Mayor immediately planted zucchini in his garden. Individuals, businesses and community organizations rallied around Pam Green, the Festival Chair. Hayward Area Recreation and Park District gave its' full support and within six weeks, on August 20, 1983, the first Festival was held with 15,000 people in attendance.
The sole purpose of this Festival is to offer an alternative funding for our many local charities and non-profit organizations but, at the same time, to allow people to be entertained with fun, shopping and listening to great music.
The twenty-nine years following the successful first year, Festival leaders have endeavored to keep the Festival's fun and entertaining persona. Great emphasis has been placed on hiring local Bay Area talent to entertain on all stages during the weekend. However, to draw the people, headliners have been used.
The Festival has strived to keep in mind that Hayward has such a diverse population that entertainment be carefully considered. We try to reach all ethnic groups with their type of music. Thus, between the entertainment stages, one can find something to their taste and culture.