Festival Latino to Celebrate 20th Anniversary This August in Bicentennial Park

Festival Latino, the largest Latin event in Ohio, marks its 20th anniversary in 2016. This two-day, family-friendly, free celebration of family, community, and Latin American culture will be held Saturday and Sunday, August 13 and 14, from 11 am-8 pm each day. Due to continuing City construction in Genoa Park, the 2016 Festival Latino will again be held in Bicentennial Park.

Festival Latino sponsors include Honda (presenting sponsor); City of Columbus, Department of Recreation and Parks; The Ohio Commission on Minority Health; Aaron's; Abercrombie & Fitch; LBrands Foundation; AEP; Fifth Third Bank; AARP; Abbott Nutrition; Alexandra Ramos Agency Insurance Services; British Swim School Columbus; Buckeye Health Plan; Cricket Wireless; Huntington Bank; Merit Logistics, LLC; Mount Carmel Health System; MSC Industrial Supply; Nationwide Insurance; Progressive/ Insurance Solutions; Rodriguez Bell & DiFranco Law Office; Sol y Luna Hair Salon; State Auto Insurance Companies; State Farm; The Ohio State University Department of Spanish and Portuguese; The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center; Trillium Farms; and Claudia and Blane Walter with additional support from Corna-Kokosing; Crabbe, Brown & James; USDA Food Safety Discovery Zone; and CareSource.

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MAIN STAGE:

Saturday, August 13

11:45am - Al Son del Iya

This tropical music group pays homage to a variety of Latin musicians including Hector Lavoe, Tito Puente, Ray Barretto, Celia Cruz, Willie Colon, Joe Arroyo, Olga Tañon, and more.

1:15pm - Fa 2

From the infectious rhythms of Brazilian samba and bossa nova to the swinging sounds of jazz, Columbus-based Fa 2 brings unparalleled experience and expertise to the stage.

2:45pm - Yumbambé

Yumbambé is Latin jazz, bringing together the lush sound of jazz harmony with the vibrant rhythms of Afro-Cuban drumming. Led by Eric "the Fish" Paton, the group performs a diverse collection of rhythms including meringue, calypso, bembe, cha cha, samba, and bossa nova.

4:15pm - El Prodigio

Dominican - Típico

Krency Garcia (El Prodigio - The Prodigy) is a merengue típico accordionist known for rapid instrumental solos and the fusion of típico with other music genres such as jazz.

6:15pm - Los Horóscopos de Durango

Mexican - Banda

Pioneers of Durango and "the tamborazo" (combination of tuba, drums, and saxophone), Los Horóscopos de Durango, fronted by sisters Vicky and Marisol Terrazas, are the first duranguense group to be awarded a Latin Grammy Award (Best Banda Album 2007).

Sunday, August 14

1:00 pm - The Ark Band

Columbus-based The Ark Band has toured across the US, Canada, and Jamaica sharing its roots reggae, calypso, and soca music.

2:15 pm - Latin Fashion Show

Catch a showcase and celebration of modern Latino style as local adults and children model a progression of fashion from traditional Latin clothing through the modern designs of today.

3:00 pm - Déjà Vu Latin Fusion Rhythms Band with Enrique Infante

Singer, songwriter, and musician Enrique Infante will perform with his band, Déjà Vu Latin Fusion Rhythms. Recipient of a 2010 "Premio Orgullo Peruano" (Peruvian Pride Award), Enrique's song "Colors of Columbus" was selected as one of the winners for the "200Columbus in Song Contest." At this year's Festival, he will perform songs from his soon-to-be-released third album.

4:30 pm - Sergio Vargas

Dominican - Merengue

Merengue singer Sergio Vargas has also earned acclaim for his ability to sing other forms of Tropical music including ballads. Once a member of the bands La Banda Brava and Los Hijos del Rey, Vargas became a major star throughout Latin America, and remains one of the Dominican Republic's top artists today.

6:15 pm - Grupo Niche

Colombian - Salsa

Known for vigorous, uptempo dance music as well as slower-paced romantic numbers, salsa orchestra Grupo Niche is recognized as Latin America's most successful salsa group and is now celebrating their 35th anniversary!

Additional main stage attractions include:

Special Festival Host - B. A-Star

Richard Bastar Jr., known as B. A-Star, is a former member of the group Tercera Generation (or 3G) with his brothers, boasting the fact that they are the third generation of Bastar in the music industry. Now pursuing a solo project, B. A-Star has created a new urban dance sound, releasing more than ten singles since 2011.

DJ Cale

DJ Cale caters to Caribbean and Latin American tastes, spinning salsa, merengue, bachata, reggaeton, Latin pop, Latin dance, house, and a touch of American Top 40 music. He will be providing music from the main stage throughout the Festival.

AMERICAN FAMILY INSURANCE Children's Area:
12 pm - 6 pm daily, no charge for activities

Children's area activities will include:

Balloon Twisters - Balloon artists from Creative Distinctions will create fun balloon designs for children from 2-4pm daily.

Columbus Metro Parks - Children can see and learn about a local animal and get their hand stamped with animal tracks.

COSI's Science Spot - This traveling exhibition gives families the opportunity to play, explore, and learn about science together with hands-on kiosks featuring activities to help children learn about basic science concepts, including force and motion, structures, magnetism, gadgets, and more.

Mexican Flowers - Big, beautiful flowers are used in Mexico to decorate on days of celebration. Join the members of Organización de Damas Latinas as they help children construct these colorful creations.

Scioto Mile Fountain - The spectacular 15,000 square-foot fountain has more than 1,000 jets of water and interactive features for children of all ages.

Other children's activities include:

Creation Station - The Creation Station is designed to engage the entire family with hands-on activities to encourage families, friends, teams, troops, and the like to work together creatively to rediscover fun without the use of modern day technology. State Auto Insurance Companies and Abbott Nutrition are partnering with Big Brothers Big Sisters, Girl Scouts, and the Columbus Museum of Art to introduce attendees to multi-generational arts-and-crafts projects limited only by your imagination.

Mascots - Costumed mascots from a variety of Columbus sports teams and companies will make appearances throughout the two-day event.

DANCE PLAZA:

Grupo Caribe - Dayton-area Dance Company Grupo Caribe will hold a demonstration of the dances of Puerto Rico.

El Corazon de Mexico Ballet Folklorico - Toledo-based Dance Company El Corazon de Mexico Ballet Folklorico will demonstrate the beauty and charm of traditional Mexican dances.

Salsamante Dance Crew - Learn salsa from Columbus' first and only salsa dance studio, the Salsamante Dance Academy.

ARTISTS' SHOWCASE:

Through the generous support of Alexandra Ramos Agency Insurance Services and Sol y Luna Hair Salon, Ohio-based Latin artists will display and sell their visual artwork in the Artists' Showcase area. Featured artists in 2016 will include:

Abraham Cordova - Winner of the 2002 Scholastic Art and Writing American Visions Award and a 2006 graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design, Cordova specializes in portraits done with watercolors, charcoal, and colored pencils. He is a self-employed tattoo artist, and a full-time fine artist.

Diana Maria Fusco - Colombian designer Diana Maria Fusco creates a variety of women's accessories and home décor, drawing from more than 15 years of training and guidance in her native country and then expanding into different cultures. There is very little duplication of her pieces, and she enjoys designing with a variety of natural materials and recyclables.

Natalia Sanchez - Born in Puerto Rico, painter Natalia Sanchez has earned a BFA from the Columbus College of Art and Design, and has exhibited at Shadowbox's RawArtist, Haiku Poetic Food and Art, and Burnt Oak Gallery (Oakland).

Additional visual artists will be announced on the Festival's web site.

AUTHORS' SHOWCASE:

Latin writers will display and sell their work in the Authors' Showcase area. Featured authors in 2016 will include:

Alfredo del Arroyo - Journalist, writer, and screenwriter Alfredo del Arroyo has served as an announcer for the DC-area TV show "Buenas Noches Peru," written for Peru Today Miami, and been published on Losmejorescuentos.com, in fantasy literature magazine Threshold Poets, and in the Peruvian Cultural Institute Miami book Poets and Storytellers 2014. In 2013, he published the book the Pacific to the Atlantic, Tales from the Other Side.

Rosa Maria Artero-Martin - Rosa is a retired physician that lives in Florida. In 2015, she published her first novel, Pedro Artero Amil: Two Continents, Two Cultures, One Man.

Ani Palacios - Editor-in-chief of Contacto Latino and Pukiyari Editores, Palacios has won several International Latino Book Awards for best novel, including 2010 with Nos vemos en Purgatorio, 2011 with Plumbago Torres y el sueño americano, and 2014 with the inspirational novel, 99 Amaneceres. Her latest books are the novel Noche de Penas (2014), the self-help book No Strings Attached: Your Journey to Unconditional Loving (2015), and the thriller El último clóset (2016).

Silvia Carrillo Rodríguez - Born in Mexico, Rodríguez moved to the US with her husband in 1998, and now resides in Columbus. She is author of Un Cubano Más, a fictional account of a young Cuban boy forced to leave behind a life he loves to escape the tyranny of the Cuban government.

Willema Wong - Willema has a degree in art history from the University of Havana, and worked for 10 years in the animation studios of the Cuban Institute of Cinematographic Art and Industry. Her first novel, Havana on My Balcony, won the IV International Competition Novela Contacto Latino. She is the first woman, Cuban, and US resident to receive this award.

HEALTH & WELLNESS AREA:

Presented by The Ohio Commission on Minority Health, the Health & Wellness Area will host a variety of local health and social service organizations offering bilingual information on the services they offer. Participating organizations include:

• Amanecer
• Buckeye Health Plan
• Catholic Social Services Our Lady of Guadalupe
• Central Ohio Diabetes Association
• Clinica Latina
• Columbus Public Health
• El Centro de Servicios Sociales, Inc.
• Equitas Health
• Franklin County Office on Aging
• Maryhaven
• Mount Carmel Health System
• Ohio Commission on Minority Health
• Latina Breast Cancer Project
• Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
• St. Vincent Family Center
• U.S. Department of Labor--OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration)
• OSU CCC - James Center for Cancer Health Equity
• Clinica Latina

COMMUNITY RESOURCES AREA:

The Community Resources area will offer information about local education and community programs. Participating organizations include:

• Attorney General
• Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio
• Boy Scouts of America
• Dominican Sisters of Peace
• Franklin County Sheriff's Office
• Girl Scouts of Ohio's Heartland Council, Inc.
• Homes On The Hill CDC (Community Development Corporation)
• Miss Ohio Latina
• National Youth Advocate Program
• OCHLA (Ohio Commission on Hispanic/Latino Affairs
• Ohio Hispanic Coalition
• Organizacion Damas Latinas y Amigos/Latin Ladies & Friends Organization
• The Salvation Army

FOOD VENORS:

Festival Latino will offer a wide variety of cuisine from Latin America and beyond.

MARKETPLACE:

The Festival Latino marketplace will include jewelry, arts, crafts, and a variety of other traditional items from Latin America.

FESTIVAL POLICY:

Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs for lawn seating. Not permitted in Bicentennial Park:

• Unauthorized vehicles on sidewalks or in the parks
• Commercial activities, including soliciting and/or vending without permission from CAPA
• Panhandling
• Camping
• Cooking grills or open fires
• Feeding the geese or other wildlife
• Drones
• Illegal drug use
• Illegal weapons
• Alcohol (except that purchased on site at the event)
• Glass containers
• Unleashed pets/animals or pets/animals in the fountains
• Skateboards
• Large shade structures including tents and umbrellas (both for patio and chair)
• Staking of any type
• Coolers
• Bicycles (to be parked in designated areas)

Rain Policy - Festival Latino is a rain or shine event. There is no rain location.

Parking - Paid parking for the public and handicapped is available at COSI (333 W. Broad St.), the Columbus Commons garage (55 E. Rich St.), and nearby surface lots.

Bicycle Parking - Bicycle racks will be located at various locations throughout the Festival.

For more information, visit www.FestivalLatino.net.

All acts and scheduled performance times are subject to change without notice.

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