Photos of the 2009 parade by Christian Millan (full gallery here).
8:00am | The 2nd Annual Latin American Parade & Festival starts on Pine Avenue at 1:00pm today, and heads East to live music and dance on two stages, food, and retail vendors. Steve Sheldon, Marketing and Special Events Manager for Downtown Long Beach Associates, explained the origins of the event.
Steve: The event came about last year as the DLBA was in the process of planning a Latin themed festival in the East Village Arts District and 1st District Councilman Robert Garcia was working on plans for a Latin American parade down Pine Avenue. We put our heads together and decided to combine the two concepts into one big event.
Sander: Who will be participating in the parade this year?
Steve: We have more than 40 entries and more than 1,000 participants, including the Cabrillo High School Marching Band and Drill Team, Celebrity Marshal Shaila Durcal, several dance performance groups, community organizations and floats representing a variety of Latin American countries and many others.
Sander: Who will be performing at the festival?
Steve: We have a great line-up of talent on two stages for this year’s festival. Some of the highlights include a mariachi group, ballet folklorico and Afro-Samba dance performers, Rubankete (a Cuban/Puerto Rican Salsa band), Guapacha (a Salsa/Latin Jazz group) and Latin Hip Hop performer, El Presidente, whose performance at last year’s festival was one of our most popular.
Sander: Where should people plan to park?
Steve: CityPlace offers 2 hours free parking or for those who want to be a little closer to the event, Lot 7 at the corner of Broadway and Elm is a great option, as well.
Sander: Is there anything else that people should know?
Steve: Both the parade and festival have expanded significantly this year to more then double the size of last year’s inaugural event. We have 57 vendors, two stages, a variety of Latin American cuisine that includes Peruvian, Caribbean, Mexican, Puerto Rican and Honduran food. We will also have a beer garden with a view of the main stage, so festival-goers who don’t want to miss the action while enjoying a beverage don’t have to miss any of the action!
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The festival runs until 9:00pm.
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