Abbott Elementary’s AVA Fest fun fair has become a reality at this year’sSan Diego Comic-Con. The event, seen on two episodes of the hitABCsitcom, is now stationed in San Diego for the duration of the convention. Collider’sTaylor Gateswas there, and has exclusive photos of the event’s opening.
The attractions at AVA Fest are all themed around the ABC sitcom and its cast of eccentric teachers and staff members at an underfunded but well-loved inner-city elementary school in Philadelphia. Attractions at AVA Fest include the Abbott Elementary Kitchen, complete with cotton candy;Mrs. Howard’s Blessed and Pressed, which is offering a number of exclusiveAbbott Elementary-themed patches;Mr. C’s Splash Class, a dunk tank;Gregory’s Garden Goofballs, a midway game; Ms. Teagues' Reach for the Stars, a strength-testing game; plus carnival rides and a ball pit. It also features a replica facade of Abbott Elementary itself, so you can take a photo in front of the school’s iconic front entrance.
What is AVA Fest?
AVA Fest first appeared in the second-seasonAbbott Elementaryepisode “Festival”. With Abbott at risk of being bought up by a corporation and converted into a charter school, self-centered PrincipalAva Coleman(Janelle James) devises a fun fair to raise funds for the school, dubbing it the AVA (for A Very Abbott) Fest — a total coincidence, of course. Ava tries to lure in the crowds with the promise of seeing singerJazmine Sullivan, but even though she doesn’t turn up, everyone ends up having a fun time, anyway. Charter school head Draemond Winding (Leslie Odom, Jr.) drops by to plead his case, but he gets booed off the stage by Abbott’s students and their parents. The AVA Fest returned in the third-season episode “2 Ava 2 Fest”, in which Ava tries to outdo her performance from last year by insisting that she’s arranged forQuestlove, who she claims to know, to attend. After the previous year, her staff is dubious, and hastily arranges for a plan B; however, Questlove does indeed turn up and confirms all of Ava’s stories about him.
After a strike-shortened third season,Abbott Elementaryis back this fall - with AVA Fest also possibly slated to return. You’ll have to wait untilOctober 9to see the fallout of the finale’sshocking Janine/Gregory kiss.
AVA Fest will continue throughout San Diego Comic-Con. Stay tuned to Collider all weekend for our SDCC coverage.
Abbott Elementary
A workplace comedy centered around a group of dedicated teachers - and an oblivious principal - in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life.
Watch on Hulu
