Massive Latin cultural festival celebrates 15 years in Mississauga
Published July 28, 2023 at 10:16 am
The Mississauga Latin Festival celebrates 15 years with a jam-packed three-day event.
The festival starts tonight (July 28) and continues through the weekend with music, dance performances, artisans, a kids zone and food in Celebration Square, 300 City Centre Dr.
More than 45,000 attendees are expected to attend in one of the largest events at Celebration Square.
The event starts tonight with a full line-up of performers including singer Blanco Oro from Ecuador, the band Latin in the 6ix, Asi Baila Peru dance group, The Mexican Folk Ballet, Tropikana Orquesta and many more.
On Saturday, festival-goers can participate in a Zumba class, and catch singers from Ecuador, Chile, Colombia and more along with more folklore dance groups. The evening ends with international musician Juan Manuel La Linea.
One of the biggest events of the weekend is the parade on Sunday at 1 p.m. Delegations from many Latin American countries put together a display of more than 300 typical costumes. Musical groups join with percussion and wind instruments such as “Papayeras” and “Chirimias”.
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Following the parade, the music and dance performances continue.
Throughout the weekend, there are tons of fun activities for kids including crafts, scavenger hunts, face painting and kids shows.
And of course, there is food. More than 20 food vendors are expected with a variety of traditional Latin American dishes — from tacos to the traditional paisa tray (beans, rice, plantain, avocado, meat and other Colombian food).
Colombian lawyer Isabel Cuellar founded the festival as a way to celebrate Colombian Independence Day but in 2015 it became the Mississauga Latin Festival to open it up for artists, musicians, and vendors from other Latin American countries.
The festival starts tonight (July 28) at 5 p.m. and runs until 11 p.m. It runs from 12 p.m. to 11 p.m. on Saturday, and 12 p.m. to 7 p.m. on Sunday.
For the complete line-up of events, see the Mississauga Latin Festival website here.
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