Latin culture will be at the center of City Hall Park on Saturday as organizers celebrate the second annual Burlington Latin American Connection Celebration.
Organizers said the event is about more than entertainment, it’s an opportunity to celebrate diversity, support Latino-owned businesses, and strengthen connections across Vermont.
One of the festival’s organizers, Maiz Varags Sandoval, is a traveling artist who moved to Burlington in 2014, found a home in Vermont, and connected with the community through art and music.
“Latin American Connection started as a dream for me as a Latino man. When I moved to Burlington more than ten years ago, I [was surprised] that there were no actual heritage celebration, a salute by the city. So I found my way to just celebrate it in my own,” said Vargas Sandoval.
The festival aims to bring visibility to the Latino community in Burlington.
“I want to bring more visibility to all the Latino people that live in this city… I reached out for legal aid to [the Vermont People Professionals of Color Network], and I was able to just harvest this dream that I have to bring music, food, and all the colors of the nations where I come from,” he said.
This year’s festival will feature performances by Ray Vega, a Puerto Rican jazz trumpeter and educator at the University of Vermont, and Cynthia Lobo, a Colombian musician. Folkloric dancers from Costa Rica and Mexico will also perform, alongside a variety of Latin American food vendors.
The event will begin with a parade at noon, led by a Brazilian samba marching band, starting at the top of Church Street and ending at City Hall Park.
While the festival has grown since its pilot year, funding challenges remain.
“It’s been quite an effort, you know, because with all the political situation that is happening, cutting of founders for the arts is being quite a hustle to put a budget together to run this,” Vargas Sandoval said.
The festival will also feature performances by the organizer’s two bands: Sonido Mal Maiz, which explores the psychedelic side of Latin music, and Alma Picante, which plays classic salsa from New York immigrants.
The Latin American Connection festival is set to return to Burlington on Sept. 19, offering music, dance, food, and a community parade to celebrate Latin American culture and diversity.
