Music, dance, traditions. Take a look at the sights of the Columbus Tri-City Latino Fest

The Tri-City’s 11th annual Latino Fest was Saturday, and it was an exciting way to bring communities together and celebrate the area’s many Latino cultures and traditions.

The event featured a parade, food and authentic clothing styles from various countries.

Vendors had festive apparel and the event featured music too.

Latino Fest parade in Columbus

The day kicked off on Broad, following Market Days with a parade featuring bands, performers, and residents dressed in traditional clothing from countries worldwide. Marching bands from local schools and professional bands such as the Panamanian Marching Band from Atlanta really kept the energy up, as participants paraded down Broad, all the way to South Commons.

As the parade found its way to the Civic Center, the crowd filled up with people proudly representing their family’s country, whether it be with their outfit, their hair, or even their flag. There were countless soccer jerseys from Central America like Mexico, Panama and Ecuador, but there were also attendees donning their sportswear from Jamaica, Brazil, and beyond. It was a very eclectic crowd and the energy was like a fun block party with neighbors.

Although it was nice to see so many countries represented, what was most remarkable was the elegant and striking dresses some of the women wore. Dressed in a version of the customary dress from varying countries, some of them women wore dresses with ornate headdresses and striking colors.

The parade participants combined with the festival goers in the side lot of the Civic Center to enjoy quite a bit of food as well. There was so much to choose from, it was hard to decide what to try first, you could tell by the smells coming out of those tents and food trucks that you couldn’t go wrong, no matter what you choose.

As the day wore on, more festival-goers arrived and the Army Band played a while for the crowd and warmed everyone up for the showcase of the quinceañera celebrants. This is a celebration of a young lady’s 15th birthday in Latino tradition and marks her transition into adulthood.

While it is deeply rooted in cultural and spiritual traditions, the birthday girl often wears an elaborate and glamorous ball gown, sometimes accompanied by a tiara. Saturday, four young women were celebrating their quinceañera and the entire festival sang “Feliz Cumpleaños” to them as they were presented to the onlookers.

Directly following the quinceañera presentation, there was a presentation of flags by local representatives picked to hold the country’s flag while the emcee read a short piece about each. Over a dozen countries’ flags were present at the Tri-City Latino Fest, which is a “vibrant symbol of cultural pride, unit, and collective empowerment.”

The daytime festivities gave way to a more music-focused evening as DJ Nelly Nelson kept the crowds entertained with a collection of reggaeton, afrobeats, merengue and hip hop.

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