Des Moines, Iowa – May 1, 2014 –Iowa’s Latino Heritage Festival has been one of the states’ most widely attended cultural events for the past 12 years, and 2014 will be no exception. September 6th and 7th the event will be returning to the downtown bridges on Locust and Walnut in front of the Embassy Suites. Organizers expect this year’s festival will attract the largest crowd yet. Every year, the festival attracts nearly 50,000 people who want to experience the rich and varied Latin-American cultures and traditions.
This year fun things you will see include a Salsa/Bachata contest, a “Grito Contest, a Tribal Contest, an Elote Eating contest, plus a varied entertainer lineup. In the children’s area they will still enjoy the craft tent, break piñatas every hour, free inflatable rides and they will be thrilled to watch “Lucha Libre which has something that draws everyone, from grandmas who cheer for their favorite hero, to children who boo the bad guys. It will be a spectacle,” says festival organizer, JoAnn Mackey.
An all-band line up will feature Mariachi Zapata, Joe Quiles, Xplicit, Banda Sensasion, and the headliner this year is Del Castillo, whose intensisty of their band’s live performance centers around the two guitar playing brothers, Rick and Mark del Castillo. This band has the honor of winning “Best Austin Band of the Year” for several years, and worked and created sound tracks for renown director Robert Rodriguez.
For more information about Iowa’s Latino Heritage Festival, and for vendor applications visit the website at www.latinoheritagefestival.org.
Iowa’s 12th Annual Latino Heritage Festival will be held the weekend of September 6 and 7th on Locust and Walnut Bridges in front of the Embassy Suites. The event includes a rich variety of traditional food, authentic arts and crafts, and cultural exhibits featuring educational activities for all ages, hours of live entertainment. The festival is only $1 for children 12 and under, $5 for everyone older than 12.