HampdenFest includes food and shopping - Full day fair to showcase local vendors as well as a variety of bands and a cooking and tasting cont

HampdenFest, a local neighborhood arts festival, kicks off on Saturday for nine hours of food, arts and crafts and films, beginning at 10 a.m. and ending at 7 p.m.

It began as a local community event organized by officials and merchants in Hampden, but has evolved into a full day fair including several stages for music and arts performances and an activity area specifically designed for kids.

Not only is there the festival to enjoy, but Hampden also boasts tons of local businesses in the area that sell art, books, clothing and more for visitors to explore.

Within the festival, though, there will be so many different vendors and exhibitors that it may not even be necessary to wander out beyond the fair. For example, the Avenue Skate Shop will have a booth, as well as Butterfly Bones, a jewelry shop and Monster Lou, selling "super fun clothes."

Those are only a few of the shops and vendors that will be at HampdenFest; there will be plenty of other attractions for attendees to explore.

Of course, no festival is complete without food and drinks. There will be all sorts of tasty cuisines including Chinese, gyros, falafel, funnel cake, crab cakes and more.

And while enjoying the vendors and food, there will be bands continuously performing on one of the three stages and a DJ in the tent on 36th and Roland Ave.

Genres of all variety are scheduled to be there, from Gothic and feminist hardcore to hip hop and indie.

The music program runs from 11 a.m., with Happy Family, The SkipJack, and Lennon La Ricci & The Leftovers kicking the day off.

The last band to perform is Sri Aurobindo at 6:30. Be sure to stop by at least one of the stages while visiting the festival.

Besides all these activities, the Hampden Film Festival is screening 20 minutes or less short films from 1 - 6 p.m at the Hampden Republican Club, hostest by Mobtelevision and 13Point7 Productions.

Although the titles of the short films that will be screened this year are not known yet, previous years have included such films as Spy Guy, Ballbusters and A Killer App among others.

And there's yet more to do at HampdenFest 2011!

The Toilet Race Competition will happen at 10 a.m. Thirty-two racers will be riding homemade devices that uses a toilet as a seat. The race starts at the intersection of 36th and Chestnut Avenue.

For even more fun and food, check out The Great Baltimore Mac Off Competition. Both amateur and professional cooks will be submitting their pasta and cheese dishes.

Tasting and judging will run from 2 to 4 p.m., and both official judges and the public are welcome to taste all the dishes.

While the judges will be giving out the "Best Home Cook" and "Best Professional" awards, the public will be judging for the "People's Choice" awards.

Tasting Tickets are available from 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. or until the tickets are sold out.

All the winners will be recieving a gift basket with giftcards and merchandise from Hampden Merchants and an ad announcement in CityPaper.

All proceeds from the contest will be going to the Hampden Food Pantry, which provides groceries to hundreds of families in north Baltimore.

This festival takes place on "The Avenue" (36th in Hampden).

Parking may be limited, so plan on arriving early or using public transportation.