Hollywood Beach Hosts Official Hispanic Heritage Month Festivities

The 13^th Annual Hollywood Beach Latin Festival, Sun., Sept 17 along the Broadwalk, will cap off a weekend of Hollywood Beach’s involvement in Hispanic Heritage Month’s noteworthy events in Broward County, including the festival’s kickoff reception and Hispanic Unity’s annual fundraising gala.

For the first time in its history, the kickoff reception for the Hollywood Beach Latin Festival will be hosted in Hollywood and sponsored by the Hollywood Beach Community Redevelopment Agency. The Sept. 15^th reception at the Marriott Hollywood Beach, for event sponsors and community leaders, will feature authentic Latin cuisine and entertainment.

Local artist Carlos Augusto Pereira, the owner of HeArt Studio in Downtown Hollywood and a native of Caracas, Venezuela, has donated the image of one of his works for the reception invitation. “Palm Tree Lady” serenely waits on the beach, looking out at the sea, nature’s ambassador that welcomes immigrants to the shore.

The following evening, Sat., Sept. 16, Hispanic Unity of Florida will hold its 18^th annual fundraising gala, Con Sabor a Mexico/A Taste of Mexico, from 7 p.m. to midnight at the Westin Diplomat Resort & Spa, 3555 S. Ocean Drive, Hollywood Beach. Tickets are $175 and include dinner, dancing and entertainment by Mexican mariachi band Nuevo Intrumental. The event, which is co-sponsored by the Hollywood Beach CRA, also will feature a silent auction and community awards presentation.

For more information on the fundraising gala, call (954) 342-0425 or visit www.hispanicunity.org.

Hollywood Beach CRA Executive Director Gil Martinez said the CRA is excited to be working with festival organizers on the event for the first time ever.

“Hollywood Beach is delighted to be able to take a more active role in all the Hispanic heritage Month festivities, which spotlight and celebrate the many Hispanic cultures that can be found throughout Broward County,” Martinez said. “The Hollywood Beach Latin Festival attracts thousands of visitors from all over South Florida, and we expect this year’s event to be the best ever.”

The Hispanic Heritage Month festivities will reach an exciting crescendo with the 13^th Annual Hollywood Beach Latin Festival, featuring Latin-flavored food, music and artwork from noon to 8 p.m. Sun., Sept. 17 on the Broadwalk between Tyler and Johnson streets.

Continuous entertainment on the Main Stage at New York Street will include DJ “O” Oscar (noon to 1 p.m.), Orquesta Brava (1 to 2 p.m.), Didier Hernandez (2:30 to 3:30 p.m.), Pedro Jesus (4:30 to 5:30 p.m.) and Lefty Perez (6:30 to 8 p.m.). Colombian rock group Skampia and Artes Compas, a flamenco troupe, will perform from 1 to 5:30 p.m. in the Hollywood Beach Theater at Johnson Street

Jose “Pepe” Lopez, president of the Hollywood Beach Latin Festival, said about 40,000 Hispanic and non-Hispanic festival-goers are expected to turn out for the celebration, which helps foster community spirit among Broward’s diverse populations.

“People come every year,” Lopez said. “This is the biggest Hispanic festival, and the only one that’s free.”