Summer Blockfest is Hoboken's first hip-hop festival. It was created to highlight the creativity, culture and impact of underserved communities, and to give hip-hop artists of all kinds a platform. In the summer of 2026, founder Victor Lopez Jr. looked back on how it started in a video series called The Road to Summer Blockfest.
Episode 1: The Inspiration
Before the recognition, the attendees and Year 4, there was just an idea and the belief that Hoboken needed its own hip-hop festival. "You have to be inspired to inspire," Victor said.
Episode 2: The False Alarm
The original plan was September 17, 2022, in the park at 605 Jackson Street. But it wasn't time yet. "Inspiration can light the fire, but timing is everything," Victor said. He credits Councilman Michael Russo as one of the first council members to believe in the mission, and his brother @rizzyray11 for being his voice that day.
Episode 3: The Formation
In December 2022, MP14 released the song "What Hoboken Sounds Like" featuring Lucasso, produced by N3rdy McFly. Seeing the page's name become a song was a full-circle moment. On Victor's birthday, his wife Amanda Dale-Lopez turned What Hoboken Sounds Like from a community support page into a nonprofit organization. In April 2023, the new organization announced itself with a Times Square billboard.
August 2023: The first Summer Blockfest
On August 18, 2023, the day before the first festival, Jim Testa told WHSL's story in The Jersey Journal. It was one of the first times someone outside the organization introduced it to a wider audience. Around the same time, Victor sat down with The Pulse with Peter B. for his first video interview about the festival and the lack of visibility and diversity in Hoboken's cultural landscape.
The first Summer Blockfest took place August 19, 2023. The team had just 20 days to pull it together and about 50 vendors. School of Rock Hoboken helped with the audio, and without that help the artists couldn't have performed. Victor, a Hoboken Housing Authority resident living five blocks from the festival, said seeing the vision come to life in his own neighborhood "meant everything."
Year 4 and beyond
Three years later, the 4th Annual Summer Blockfest drew its biggest turnout ever. "Nothing is impossible when you act on your faith," Victor said.
Follow @summerblockfest and @whathobokensoundslike on Instagram for more.