Neighborhood Non-profits: Latino Arts Festival

Photo: Folkloric Dance – photo: Eclectic Brew Productions

PARK CITY, Utah. — The Latino Arts Festival is an annual cultural celebration. Participants represent various Latin American art forms, including music, folkloric dance, poetry, cultural performances, traditional foods, film screenings, and visual arts and crafts. This year’s festivities are June 20 through 26. Numerous locations throughout Park City host daily events.

The broad national representation is one of the most exciting parts of this year’s schedule.

“We have many of the different cultures in Latin America represented, such as Ecuador, Argentina, Mexico, Peru, Chile, Brazil, Puerto Rico, El Salvador, Venezuela, Bolivia, and much more,” said Andrea Zavala, the Arts Council Park City Summit Community Inclusion and Outreach Coordinator, “Representation is extremely important, and I believe this Festival will create a lot of connection and positivity for residents and visitors throughout the week.”

The Latino Arts Festival started six years ago as a collaboration between the Christian Center of Park City (CCPC), Arts Council Park City Summit County (Arts Council), and several Park City non-profits and businesses.

“The Arts Council has always been a supporter of the Latino Arts Festival, and we have served as the Producing Partner of the festival since its inception,” Zavala said, “We are thrilled to see how much growth the Festival has seen since its start, and to announce that the Arts Council will be taking the lead on the Festival moving forward.”

The Arts Council intends to break down barriers and unite people through experiences.

“The Arts Council knows that art connects us. Art Inspires us. Art serves as a platform to communicate. Art is a mode for self-expression. Art demands curiosity. Art can move us emotionally and intellectually. Art helps us gain new perspectives, as it illustrates the human experience, allowing us to understand each other better,” she said. “Our goal is to highlight and celebrate Latino cultures in our community and bring people together through arts and culture.”

This year’s schedule features nearly two dozen events, almost all of them free.

“For the kids, I wouldn’t miss the Piñata making workshop at the library,” said Zavala sharing a few of her top recommendations, “If you’d like to try some delicious food and be outdoors, we recommend families come to Cena en el Jardin at Summit Community Gardens, where you’ll also catch some amazing poetry presented by Artes de Mexico.”

She adds, “If you’re into dance and music, we have several free opportunities like Noches de Verano on Monday, Deer Valley concert with Rumba Libre on Wednesday, and pop-up dance and music performances at the Gallery Stroll on Friday, and Savor the Summit on Saturday.”

The Latino Arts Festival continues to thrive and grow in part because of the local non-profits and business sponsors like Mountain Town Music, Park City Film, Sundance Institute, Kimball Art Center, Park City Gallery Association, Park Silly Sunday Market, Park City Area Restaurant Association, Summit Community Gardens, Park City Municipal Corporation, Park City Chamber of Commerce, Alpha Media, First Community Bank, Hilton DoubleTree, and Sweetwater Lift Lodge.

“We are thrilled to have so much community support for this Festival. These partnerships have allowed us to broaden our scope and our reach of the Latino Arts Festival to new audiences, giving more opportunities for residents and visitors to engage with Festival programming.”

Check out the full festival schedule to plan a week of enlightening and engaging experiences!