A free multicultural celebration will sweep into downtown Red Deer in mid-August with the Fiestaval Latin Festival.
Delicious Latin-inspired food, rhythmic and uplifting music, vibrant costumes and unique performances will fill the block beside City Hall Park for a day of entertainment on Aug. 16th.
“I’m very proud to be able to show people the other side of Latin American culture. Sometimes, people don’t hear a lot of nice things about our continent and our countries,” said Christian Greiffenstein, who has been working as an event organizer for Fiestaval.
The Fiestaval is free and is open to anyone who would like to come enjoy the events. There will be a variety of Latin-themed entertainment from big band performances and salsa bands to mariachi shows and dancers and artisans.
“On top of amazing performances and shows we have on the stage, we will have amazing performances off the stage. I’m talking particularly about the vendors that we have. They put a lot of heart and love into cooking delicious food and making it really authentic for the visitors,” said Greiffenstein. “It’s all done beautifully and we select only food vendors that have their ‘game’, and who will represent our festival well. That’s a big component. They really just cook with so much love and passion that it shows.”
A kids’ play area and beer gardens are also going to be available at Fiestaval.
Several food vendors will be available to showcase the authentic tastes of Hispanic culture. Artisans and other wares vendors will also be in the downtown area to display their vibrant products from clothing to jewellery to music and other goods.
In past years, the streets have been filled with citizens dancing to the rhythms of the live musicians. The festival has something to offer for people of all ages and walks of life, organizers say.
“We have a bunch of artisans and vendors from the community that are participating and that also will add to the vibrance of the festival. We also will have the beer gardens in front of City Hall, which is something you don’t usually see in Red Deer.”
For more information, check out fiestaval.ca/red-deer.
kmendonsa@reddeerexpress.com
