Festival Latino takes place Aug. 9-10 in Genoa Park in Columbus

Festival Latino, a free event celebrating Latin American cultures, will take place Aug. 9-10 in Genoa Park.
The festival will feature live music, dance, arts and crafts, food vendors, a marketplace and other attractions.

Festival Latino started as a test drive and buyers were instantly sold on it. But it almost ran out of gas.

The first incarnation of the cultural fest was a five-hour pilot project in 1996 by the city of Columbus. The enormously popular event was expanded to two days when it officially debuted the following year.

But in 2009, city budget cuts loomed. That’s when CAPA stepped in and, at Mayor Michael Coleman’s request, took over and has been producing Festival Latino ever since.

Celebrating the vibrant mosaic of the Latino community, the free, family-friendly fiesta will be held from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 9-10 in Genoa Park, rain or shine.

The festivities will include live music by local artists and global headliners, dance lessons and performances, cultural and arts workshops, food, kids’ activities, a marketplace and more.

Guests are welcome to bring blankets and chairs for lawn seating.

Derek Amaya, also known as DJ Cale, will get the fiesta started each morning at 11 a.m. Amaya, the official DJ for Festival Latino since 2011, was born in Honduras, raised in Queens, New York, and came to Columbus in 2001. He also is the owner of The Cave Bar & Lounge.

In the Dance Plaza, the talent won’t be the only ones showing off fancy footwork. At 2 p.m. both days, Carlos Rubio — aka “The Salsa King of Ohio” — will offer salsa lessons, with performances by instructors and students afterward.

The plaza also will host performances by the Salsamante Dance Academy, where Rubio is owner and an instructor, and Toledo-based dance company El Corazon de Mexico Ballet Folklorico.

The headlining artists at Festival Latino, who hail from North America, Central America and the Caribbean, will be:

Michael Stuart (New York City), salsa — 4:15 p.m. Aug. 9
Los Rabanes (Panama), rock — 6:30 p.m. Aug. 9
Pirulo Y La Tribu (Puerto Rico), world fusion — 4:15 p.m. Aug.10
Kinito Méndez (Dominican Republic), merengue — 6:30 p.m. Aug. 10

Stuart, who has appeared with artists such as Marc Anthony and Ricky Martin, is filling the performance slot that originally featured Peruvian salsa singer Daniela Darcourt. Due to issues with her visa approval process, Darcourt was unable to perform, according to a press release from CAPA.

Numerous other artists will perform throughout both days, with genres varying from Spanish-language rock to Afro-Cuban jazz.

Visual arts and the written word will be highlighted in the Artists and Authors Showcase. Six local Latino artists will display and sell their works, while area authors will offer bilingual readings and books for sale. Local artist Juan Daza will lead other interactive arts activities in the area near the Rich Street Bridge.

Browsing the marketplace for jewelry, arts, crafts and other items from Latin America can work up an appetite. Fortunately, more than 30 vendors will serve food from Colombia, Cuba, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Mexico, Puerto Rico and Venezuela, as well as Mexican-Vietnamese fusion and other options.

Festival Latino is also devoted to elevating and encouraging emerging entrepreneurs. Both the marketplace and food vendors include members of the 2025 class of Mercadito Raíces. The program provides training for new Latino business owners, who then debut at the festival.

A children’s area will offer crafts, games, face painting and product sampling, as well as health care consultations.