Pasadena Honors Latin Heritage at Villa Parke’s Fiestas Patrias Celebration

Pasadena’s Villa Parke is taken over with lively Latin flare as the community celebrates Fiestas Patrias, or Latin independence, at a free cultural festival that intends to shine a bright light on recognizing the heritage of the liberated countries in the southern hemisphere.

The family celebration features the Parade of Flags, crowning of the new Queen by City officials, children’s art activities and boxing and ju jitsu demonstrations.

“It’s a patriotic holiday that we are glad to celebrate because it recognizes the Latin heritage that runs deep in Pasadena,” said Villa Parke’s Boxing Specialist and event co-organizer Faust De LaTorre. “Not to mention, its fun for the whole family.”

The City’s Human Services and Recreation Department sponsored the cultural festival that commemorates 18 Latin American countries’ historic independence from Spain, including Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.

“It’s really nice that Pasadena still embraces all of these different cultural backgrounds. It helps create a sense of community,” said De LaTorre.

The family celebration highlights the colors, richness and warmth of Latin America culture, according to a press release.

“Pasadena has a large Latino population that runs deep in its roots,” said De LaTorre. “It’s a day where Latinos can come together as a union.”

The fun and festivities include live music and dance performances by Ignacio Hernandez y su Mariachi, Ballet Folklorico Nahuatzen and the Aztec dance group, Yankuititl, all in traditional clothing from various Latin American countries.

All fun games aside, the festival is an outlet for the community to learn about a topic that often goes under the radar in history lessons in school.

“This event is a way to educate the younger generation about heritage and history that most kids don’t learn in the classroom. It gives them an opportunity to ask questions and become educated about who they are, where they come from and why we celebrate this,” said De LaTorre.

Other activities include crowning of the a new Fiestas Patrias Queen by City officials, art activities, traditional latin food selections and competitive boxing demonstrations at the Villa Parke gymnasium.

Fiestas Patrias festival celebration goes from 5 to 9 p.m. at Villa Parke Community Center located at 363 E. Villa Street.