The 3rd Annual Summer Blockfest took over 770 Jackson Street on Sunday, August 3, 2025. Three years after it began as an idea for Hoboken's first-ever hip-hop festival, it had become a tradition.
"Thank you to every single sponsor who believed in the mission, to the artists who left their soul on that stage, to the vendors who showed up and showed out," founder Victor Lopez Jr. said afterward. "This was history. Let's keep building."
Milestones
- Book bag giveaway: free book bags for local kids. A follow-up drop came later with the Pamela Bates Foundation and Opulent Hair Loft.
- The first Pamela Bates Foundation Awards: Justice Laquan Bates honored his mother's legacy by recognizing local heroes and sharing their stories, the start of a new Blockfest tradition.
- What Jersey City Sounds Like: the presidents of WHSL's sister brand were officially presented, along with its first official DJ.
On the stage
Tato With The Camera captured sets from B.MORE, OneShotOnce, Chaseland, DJ DugSpin, DJ BriPee, Rose Image, RaRa, Mr. Deranged, Gunner Montana, MP14, General Ace, Pootie and Automatic Mula. Photographer Roberto Rosa was there again, as he is every year, to catch Chaseland on stage.
What the community said
- Councilman Ruben Ramos congratulated the WHSL team on a 3rd Blockfest that "exceeded everyone's expectations."
- Councilman Michael Russo called it "another year in the books meeting neighbors."
- Walk A Mile N Our Shoes said their team had a blast networking and meeting new people.
See the full 2025 lineup, the vendors and the sponsors.
Follow @summerblockfest and @whathobokensoundslike on Instagram for more.