Come for Your Shot, Stay for the Party

El Sol Neighborhood Educational Center in San Bernadino, California proved that throwing a community party around a vaccine outreach event is an effective way to promote and provide health services. In late January 2023, El Sol hosted a successful flu and COVID-19 vaccine fair that also featured food, face painting, and music to create an approachable ambiance for its community of Spanish speakers with limited English proficiency. Bilingual staff from El Sol were on hand to help attendees sign up for a vaccine on site, or to provide alternate vaccine locations for family members who were not present. El Sol event organizers were pleased to see that community members clearly felt more comfortable approaching the vaccine resource booths and asking questions, thanks to the welcoming, bilingual environment.