For the 5th year in a row, Fiesta Cultural will offer the Eugene-Springfield area a snapshot of Latin American arts, music, dance and more. The fiesta starts with this Friday with a kick off celebration in Eugene’s Kesey Square.
The kick off is part of a series of over 40 events put on by the Lane Arts Council. The idea is to break cultural barriers and inspire inclusion through various mediums, like Charrería. It’s Mexico’s national sport and Antonio Huerta is a skilled trick roper in the tradition.
“The sport really evolved out of the work that needed to be done in the fields or the haciendas, around horses, cattle, and as a result people developed really great talent using the rope,” Huerta said.
Fiesta Cultural gives the Latinx community a chance to see themselves represented, he added.
“This is especially true for children and youth who otherwise would have to travel to Mexico or to other their countries, or the country of their parents, to sort of see and experience, witness, some of the cultural traditions,” he said.
Latinx artists will also get exposure during the fiesta. Mija Andrade with Centro Latino Americano will co-lead an Artwalk downtown. Andrade, an artist herself, said art is a universal language that anyone can feel or enjoy.
“I think that, that’s important for connection. Important for us just as human beings to be able to connect with somebody that might seem really different from us because we come from different backgrounds or cultures,” she said.
Fiesta Cultural kicks off this Friday at 5:30 pm at Kesey Square in downtown Eugene.
KLCC is a community partner for Fiesta Cultural and KLCC’s Jill Torres, host of Ahora Sí!, will MC Friday’s event.