Fiesta en SoMa celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month in downtown Little Rock

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – In honor of Hispanic Heritage Month, a Little Rock neighborhood is celebrating the culture with a fiesta.

Itzel Velazquez, co-chair of Fiesta en SoMa, said she wants this event to bring everyone together.

“It’s very important because it’s a celebration for Hispanic Heritage Month,” she said. “We are one of the last festivals of the season.”

This is the second year they’ve held the event but it’s already seeing growth in the SoMa neighborhood.

“We added another block, and we added a tamale competition, so we were excited to see the growth of it,” Velazquez said.

The event is meant to show the dynamic traditions of various Latin American countries by showing the beauty of their culture, art and cuisine.

Luis Vasquez, owner of El Sur and co-chair of Fiesta En SoMa, said he is excited for people to get a taste of Honduran flavor at his restaurant.

“This community was super supportive to us as a food truck and they have been as a restaurant,” Vasquez said.

Local Mark Burrell said he appreciates learning about diverse traditions.

“As a minority, it’s pretty cool to experience different cultures,” Burrell said.

Velazquez said with the help of sponsors, vendors and many volunteers she’s glad they could bring a bit of Latino culture to Little Rock.

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