The City Centre is set to come alive with the sounds, flavours and colours of contemporary Latin America this Saturday (9 November), with the City Renewal Authority hosting its second annual Latin American festival, La Fiesta.
City Renewal Authority Acting Executive Branch Manager Teresa Comacchio said the celebration will build on the success of the inaugural event, which drew about 5000 people to Latin American Plaza in City West.
"La Fiesta is a fantastic opportunity for Canberrans and visitors to experience a modern expression of Latin American culture," Ms Comacchio said.
"The free event will be bigger and better than last year, with a larger footprint to cater for the exciting program of live music, art, dance performances and authentic Latin cuisine vendors.
"Last year we saw a large number of families throughout the daytime, with the festivities kicking on in the evening – particularly those adults who brought their dancing shoes."
Event programmer Rafael Florez, from local Clandestino events added: "We're upping the musical fire and diversity this year showcasing some of the best urban Latin bands in the country.
"This includes a 10-piece Chilean cumbia big band (Sorbo Amplio), a Brazilian folk group from Melbourne (Forro Lamparina), salsa kings from Sydney (Malo Malo) and local ska and reggae legends (Los Chavos), along with a strong line up of Canberra dance groups. The vibes will be authentic, heavy and eminently danceable!"
While there will also be an expanded line up of performers this year, returning favourites from last year's festival include Kokoloco Dance Crew, Raio Del Sol Samba Band and Oscar Jimenez – this time not just as a solo artist but with his four-piece Latin folktronica band Amaru Tribe who will close out the night.
A highlight of the festival will be the return of an open-air gallery showcasing traditional and contemporary artworks supplied by local Latin embassies. This year's theme, 'How your country celebrates', will see embassies share their unique perspectives on cultural traditions.
Ms Comacchio extended her gratitude to the Latin American embassies for their invaluable support and contributions to the upcoming event.
"The involvement of local embassies has been instrumental in preparing for another exciting cultural experience in our City Centre," she said.
