Fiesta draws large crowd to Linn Park for a celebration of cultures

Fiesta, Birmingham’s annual celebration of Hispanic culture and heritage, was held for the 15th year at Linn Park downtown, Saturday, Sept. 30.

Organizers expected that about 15,000 people would turn out for the event, which took advantage of sunny skies and warm weather.

About 20 countries were represented at Fiesta with a mix of art, music, food and dance in the park's green space.

The festival featured two stages, live music, Latin food vendors, children’s activities, a cultural village and other areas.

And organizers were aware of the significance of Fiesta’s 15th birthday — or quinceañera, referring to the birthday celebrations given to young women In Latin American culture at age 15.

“The quinceañera symbolizes coming of age for a young Hispanic girl into womanhood, so we feel like the Fiesta has come of age,” said Fiesta co-president Teresa Zuniga Odom during the event.

In traditional quinceañera fashion, this year’s festival involved the whole family and was themed A Celebration of Generations, according to organizers.

“It’s always been a family event, but we are seeing more and more families are coming out,” Odom said. “And they are spending the day. They used to leave early evening, but now they are staying for the acts.”

Fiesta helps provide scholarships to Hispanic students to further their education in Alabama and awarded more than $70,000 in scholarships in the last 14 years, according to a news release.

Odom and co-president Vanessa Vargas said they were pleased with the response to the event, as far as attendance and people participating by setting up tents.

The event was to have about 100 tables from vendors, non-profits and local companies, according to Vargas.

Birmingham has become more diverse, according to Vargas, who said that the positive response to Fiesta “shows that people here are willing to bring diversity and learn about Hispanic culture.”