The Love The Ave September Newsletter
IMPORTANT NOTE: Unfortunately, due to unforeseen logistical challenges the Love The Ave Sabor y Ritmo Block Party featured below, which was scheduled for this Saturday, September 13, must be postponed. The team is discussing possible dates in the Spring of 2026 for a reschedule, and we’ll will share news here as it becomes available.
Mark your calendars! On Saturday, September 13 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m., the heart of New Bedford’s North End will come alive with the sights, sounds, and flavors that make Acushnet Avenue one of the city’s most vibrant destinations. The Love The Ave Block Party: Sabor y Ritmo is back — and you’re invited to be part of this joyful neighborhood celebration!
Acushnet Avenue is known as a cultural crossroads where traditions meet, families gather, and businesses reflect the energy of our diverse community. “Sabor y Ritmo” — Spanish for “flavor and rhythm” — captures exactly what this event is all about. For three lively hours, The Ave will be transformed into an outdoor stage and gathering place filled with music, dance, food, and community pride in front of historic St. Anthony of Padua Church as the street is closed to traffic but open to people from Nye Street to Bullard Street.
It’s the second year in a row the Love The Ave TDI Partnership has taken it to the streets. Last year’s Sabor y Ritmo was a huge success. Some doubted the feasibility of shutting down The Ave is so dramatic a fashion – but it’s clear that over 300 people who attended the party were ready to claim it as their own.
This year’s block party – FREE to attend – will once again feature music, dance, fun activities and that special vibe in the air that you can only find here. It’s an evening designed for neighbors, friends, and families of all ages to experience the spirit of the North End together.
As of this writing, the line-up includes DJ Angehelli and the band, Nueva Dimension. Once again, 3rd EyE Unlimited will be on hand with games and activities for all ages. Love The Ave Partners – such as Santiago Professional Services, the New Bedford Economic Development Council, and the City of New Bedford Human Rights Commission – will have representatives and information available. Also, MassDOT reps will be present to answer all your questions about the massive, five year reconstruction of the I-195 overpass at the gateway to The Ave over Rte. 18.
Of course, no Love The Ave event would be complete without food! Acushnet Avenue’s restaurants will be ready to share the flavors that make the area a unique dining destination. Whether you’re in the mood for a savory bite, a sweet treat, or a refreshing drink, the Ave’s eateries will have you covered. This is the perfect chance to discover a new favorite spot — or revisit one you already love. And, vendor tables from some of Acushnet Avenue’s retailers, artisans and services will add their wares to this eclectic mix.
Finally, as a special treat, Hendrick Hernandez-Resto, Creative Specialist for New Bedford Creative and valued Love The Ave partner, will once again resume the hosting duties for a special event, a role he filled for Love The Ave Wednesdays to tremendous love and acclaim during the summer of 2023.
He says, “It’s an honor to host the Sabor y Ritmo Community Celebration, a day that shines a light on the rich culture, traditions, and rhythms of our Latinx community here in New Bedford. Events like this remind us that Acushnet Avenue is not just a neighborhood—it’s a vibrant home where connection, heri
The Love The Ave Block Party Sabor y Ritmo is more than an evening of fun. It’s a showcase of the small businesses, creative talent, and community organizations that strengthen our city every day. It’s a way of honoring the past, celebrating the present, and looking toward a future of continued growth and connection on Acushnet Avenue.
So, bring your family, invite your friends, and come ready to dance, eat, and celebrate. Together, we’ll fill the street with sabor y ritmo — flavor and rhythm — and show why Acushnet Avenue truly is the heartbeat of New Bedford’s North End.
Love The Ave Block Party: Sabor y Ritmo
Saturday, September 13, 2025 | 5:00-8:00 p.m.On Acushnet Avenue between Nye Street and Bullard Street in front of St. Anthony of Padua Church.
Come celebrate with us — where flavor meets rhythm and community shines! Follow us on Facebook for updates and additions to the schedule as they become available. Plus, read on below for an announcement from a special guest….
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Vestibules: Share your stories!
Saturday, September 13 from 5-7 pm at Sabor y Ritmo – The Vestibules, an eco-art team project, is creating a community garden at Brooklawn Park that will clean the puddling water with native plants that once bloomed here. Around the garden, they will install artworks based on community-inspired stories, art, and memories of Brooklawn Park and Acushnet Avenue.
They want to hear from you! – What flowers, plants, and trees used to grow there? What paths did the brooks follow before there were concrete-lined channels, ball fields, roads, and parking lots? What other memories and histories have been buried and forgotten about the area and the surrounding neighborhoods?
Vestibules will have a table at Sabor y Ritmo event on September 13 from 5-7pm where you can share your stories, express your creativity, and learn more about the eco-art project. So come prepared to collaborate on something entirely new in the North End!
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Peer-to-Peer & Arte Entre Amigos
This fall,TDI Partners New Bedford Creative are once again opening the door for artists, makers, and creative entrepreneurs to learn, share, and grow together. Beginning in September 2025, a new slate of their Peer-to-Peer sessions will connect the city’s creative community through workshops designed to foster collaboration, spark ideas, and provide practical tools for success in today’s evolving creative industries. All sessions are free of charge and offered both in-person and online.
To serve the city’s Spanish-speaking community, New Bedford Creative will once again offer Arte Entre Amigos, a companion program led by textile artist Paulina Fuenzalida-Guzman. These in-person workshops, Curso de Bordado Sobre Papel, invite participants to explore drawing and shading with yarn, paper, and cardboard, while also building cultural connections through shared creative practice.
Peer-to-Peer workshops will be held at The Quest, 1213 Purchase Street, New Bedford (2nd floor, NBEDC Conference Room) and simultaneously online. Registration can be accomplished via Eventbrite.
Arte Entre Amigos sessions take place only at Mujeres Victoriosas Office in The Kilburn Mill, 127 W. Rodney French Boulevard, Suite S3-58, New Bedford, with online registration also available.
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TEN TRANSIT QUESTIONS: Our friends at Southeastern Regional Transit Authority (SRTA) want to hear your thoughts regarding a new five-year regional transit plan. Use the QR code in the image to take the quick 10 question survey. You’ll be asked if you want more bus shelters, more service at night, and other important queries! The survey is offered in a variety of languages, including English, Spanish and Portuguese. DIVE DEEPER: Bringing a new bus shelter is a goal of the Community Economic Development Center and the Love The Ave TDI Partnership. We’re on the cusp of sharing some good news on that important project! In the meantime, share your voice by taking the survey.
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IN THE NEWS
||| Award-winning photographer Peter Pereira at Southcoast Today caught up with Shiska Lemonade, the refreshing mobile business that has become a staple along the street sof North End, New Bedford and a valued participant in many Love The Ave TDI Partnership activities (like the Sabor y Ritmo, where they will be setting up a shop once again). Take a look at this link.
||| Take a peek at the restoration of Talbot Apartments, renovated after a fire tore through the historic structure on Acushnet Avenue. The building long ago was The Waverly Hotel.
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BONUS READ: Journey back to 1979 in this special feature story looking at redevelopment on The Ave. You won’t find lava lamps, but you’ll find the predecessor to today’s joyous campaign to #LoveTheAve and North End, New Bedford!
– The New Bedford TDI District is a diverse and vibrant neighborhood in the central economic corridor of the city’s North End. This distinct neighborhood is characterized by its linear commercial spine of small business storefronts on the ground level of one- and two-story tenement structures along with ethnic restaurants, cafes, bakeries, churches, and social clubs. The supporting dense neighborhood is comprised primarily of multifamily housing for legacy Portuguese-descent residents and Latino, Hispanic, and Central American immigrant populations. At the forefront of priorities for the New Bedford TDI Partnership is place-based economic development that focuses on small-business development, entrepreneurship, and public realm improvements with an arts-and-culture-based approach. Adelsa Mendes is the TDI fellow for the New Bedford TDI District. You can reach her at amendes@massdevelopment.com