Fiesta Alameda 2024 is Back, Bigger and Better Than Ever

West End Arts District’s annual celebration of Latin culture, Fiesta Alameda , took place on Sunday, July 21, at Radium Runway on the taxiway at Alameda Point . Twelve-piece Cumbia band “Petate” opened the festivities with enough energy to burn away the cloud cover, and crowds enjoyed a beautiful sunny day filled with dance, music and arts. Local photographer Hans-Dieter Siebert was there to record the afternoon in photos.

The main stage hosted leading Bay Area bands playing a range of different Latin styles, including Afro-Peruvian rock from trio Radio Cafe, Afro-Latin funk from Sang Matiz, and the seven-piece salsa band VibraSÓN. Between musical sets, the audience enjoyed dance performances from Grupo Folklorico Tlapalli, the dynamic drums of Batalá San Francisco, and a bachata lesson from Oakland-based In Lak’ech Dance Academy.

The entire program was directed with pizzazz by festival emcee PerSia, a popular Latin drag performer and educator who captivated the audience with her unique performance style and her gravity-defying heels.

Last year, the overwhelming popularity of last year’s festival stretched the food vendors to the limit, so the West End Arts District expanded the food court offerings to accommodate the crowds this year, offering everything from Argentinian empanadas and BBQ to tamales, tacos, pupusas, and churros.

Rhythmix Cultural Works hosted the Kids Crafting Zone with Alebrijes, flower crowns, Maracas and more while children throughout the festival modeled the artwork of skilled face painter Renae Stowell.

At the end of the day, West End Arts District Executive Director Tara Pilbrow said, “It’s an exhausting process! There’s a huge amount of work that goes into creating the festival, but it’s deeply gratifying when you see thousands of people enjoying the space, the entertainment and the festive family atmosphere of the day. We are so grateful to the massive team of volunteers who are the lifeblood of the festival, as well as to the sponsors and partners who support the festival every year.”

Fiesta Alameda 2024 was supported by a cultural arts grant from the City of Alameda Public Arts Commission. West End Arts District expressed thanks to the City for the grant and for the incredible support and encouragement of City staff from all departments who contributed in so many ways to making events like this possible here in Alameda.

Photographer Hans-Dieter Siebert, retired former engineer, coach, and construction apprenticeship & training director, is now doing whatever he fancies most. You can see his photos at Flickr and xlagger.com . All photos © 2024 Hans-Dieter Siebert.

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