On Saturday, October 5, 2024, the fourth annual Akron Latin festival will be presented by Proyecto Raices and Downtown Akron Partnership. The festival will have live Latin music, Latin festival Dance, Latin festival food, and Latin festival vendors. It will be located at Cascade Plaza 122 S Main St. The festival will be from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m. and it is open for everyone of all ages.
From University of Akron students to members of the Akron community, Communications Specialist Sonia Jurkowski says, “anybody can and should attend this event. It’s open to all ages and is completely free to attend.”
The live Latin music will consist of Grupo Fuego, Luka y su Ropa Vieja, DJ Alfredo, and Alberto Ventura. Communications director Dominic Caruso states, “we’ll have excellent live music from the 2024 Cleveland Music Award winners for Best Latin Band, Grupo Fuego, plus music from another popular band, Luka y su Ropa Vieja, and DJ Coraly will be spinning tunes as well. And there will be plenty of space to dance: we’re setting up a 24′ x 27′ dance floor.” There will also be Latin festival dance, including Azteca Guadlupano and America Latina.
There will be Latin festival food from over 15 plus food vendors. Consisting of food from Mexico, Puerto Rico, Peru, El Salvadore, and Venezuela. Some of the vendors being Tamisu Sweets, which is a mix of Latin sweets, desserts: empanadas de dulce de leche, arroz con leche, hojarascas, pay de queso, buñuelos. La Rosita Snacks, which consists of Mexican street corn, fruit cups, fruit salad, Mexican flour chips, and shaved ice. Incredibowls Açaí Bar, is a sister-owned and operated fruit shop located in Northfield, Ohio.
There will also be over 15 vendors and organizations at the festival. A few vendors you may come across could be Pretty Mango. Which sells organic skin and hair care such as soaps, shampoo bars, scrubs, etc. Or Gala Jewelry which sells Hispanic arts, crafts and fabrics. Even Pincel & Barro, that sells artisanal Mexican textiles and accessories. Some of the organizations in attendance of the festival will be UA Latinos & SHPE, Proyecto Raices, Axess Family Services, Akron Minority Business Association etc.
The festival will also have Piñatas, a community mural project with artist Alicia Vasquez, stilt walkers, a free photo booth, face painting, ojo de Dios craft, and a cultural tent.
Communications Specialist Sonia Jurkowski says, “As a former UA student myself, I can say that one of the best things students can do to feel a sense of belonging in the city that’s their home (at least for a few years) is to spend time downtown. There’s so much to explore in the neighborhood. As far as Latin Fest itself goes, it’s a great opportunity for students to enjoy great food, do a little dancing, check out what local makers are selling, celebrate Latin and Hispanic cultures, and get a sense of the sort of vibrant events downtown Akron has to offer.” The fourth annual Latin festival is to celebrate Hispanic heritage month. To share the culture among anyone in attendance.”
To stay updated and connected with events in the future, Communications director Dominic Caruso states, “Follow us on social media, and sign up for our weekly newsletter! We also have a robust calendar of events on our website—everything that goes on downtown, as long as we know about it, makes it onto the calendar. It’s easy to sort the listings by category and date, so you can find just the thing that interests you.”
This story was written as part of the Newswriting Across the Media course in The UA School of Communication.
