The first sight one may notice when walking into the bell lobby is the music from a variety of instruments filling the air with light, joyful Christmas music, while the crowd bustles around from one stand to the next.

Per Westford Tradition, the Holiday Bazaar runs on the first Saturday of December every year, taking place this past weekend on Saturday December 5th from 9 AM to 3 PM. It serves as an opportunity for vendors to market their items, clubs to fundraise money for their personal uses or for a charity, and for the crowd to interact with people from all over Massachusetts to get a feel for the Holiday Bazaar experience at Westford Academy.

The atmosphere of the bazaar was lively and loud, with a mix of all different ages buying items at various stands. The vendors, who came from all over Massachusetts sold anything and everything- from delightful delicacies (including croissants and cupcakes) to jewelries and everyday items (including candles, attire and furniture).

Additionally, Westford Academy clubs such as SADD (Students Against Destructive Decisions), DECA (Distributive Education Clubs of America), UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund), and language clubs such as Spanish Club, Latin Club, French Club, German Club were represented at the bazaar. Items sold by the representatives of all the clubs ranged from food, to items such as wristbands to even educational resources SAT books.

Some organizations were interested solely in fundraising money for their personal cause, often to fundraise future field trips and conventions. Other organizations focused on raising money for external causes or service projects.

For example, the organization known as Peace, Love and Cupcakes created by Lauren Flynn, Dorothy Goodwin and Olivia Overington spent 15 hours all-together to frost cupcakes and organize their event at the bazaar. Their earnings go to the Africa Well Fund, in which they have already raised $9,000 with a goal of $15,000.

Senior Iman Zarrinkoub, the president of French Club, helped sell French delicacies and cider along with other representatives. They spent a few days preparing for this event. All of the proceeds of French Club at the bazaar are going to an organization in Haiti called Partners In Health, an organization that builds health systems.

Zarrinkoub said, “We had a great time today, made a lot of great food, people seem to love it… [it was] a very successful day overall.”

Student Council is responsible for the infrastructure of the event, and are responsible for setting up the bazaar and checking in on vendors and customers.

In total, the Student Council members started working at around 2 after school Friday until after 9 PM and woke up early at around 5 AM to assist and welcome the vendors. This year, a new aspect implemented into the bazaar was menus for the language clubs.

Student Council member Molly Berrington said, “The night before, we set up the tables, we made sure the dimensions are set, the food is set, [and] decorated the place.”

Student Council started by marking each individual spot for each vendor and setting up the bazaar like putting a tarp on the gym floor and carrying in tables and chairs. They also carried the items from vendors, and also check in with the vendors every hour to see if they needed any help. They also helped deliver food to the vendors using the menus implemented this year.

Berrington said, ” I think that people really look forward to coming to the holiday bazaar. It’s a Westford tradition.”