Tri-city Latino Festival reaches 5-year milestone, expect fireworks

Cultural dancers, musicians and vendors will return to the Columbus Civic Center Saturday for another Tri-City Latino Festival.

Beatrice Casiano, secretary of the Tri-City Latino Association Board, said this year’s celebration will include fireworks for the whole community. The event, to be held from noon to 10 p.m., is free and open to the public, regardless of cultural background.

“This is our five-year anniversary, so we’ve reached our first milestone in a sense, and we’re very excited about that,” said Casiano. “We want to celebrate with the community and continue to promote cultural diversity. This is just not for Hispanics to come together and to celebrate, it’s for every culture in the community.”

The festival, co-sponsored by the City of Columbus, Phenix City and Ft. Benning, will include displays from 16 Latin American countries, live entertainment, tennis classes, food vendors, and a Kids Zone.

The 2017 Tri-City Latino Festival Queen, chosen at a recent pageant, will be introduced to the community. This year, the festival also will present its first “Little Miss” Pageant Queen.

Casiano said the event will include vendors from Florida, North Carolina, Atlanta and other cities, and peformers from such countries as Panama, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico and Mexico.

She said festivities will begin Friday night with a pre-festival dance, called Baile, featuring DJ Alde and El Golpe. Doors will open 10 p.m. at the Sound Factory Nightclub and Bar at 6298 Veteran Parkway, Suite 8E. Tickets to the dance are $12 per individual/$20 per couple in advance and $15/$25 at the door.

On Saturday, performers will include El Golpe, Caribbean Sound, Bianca Alomar, Nayshla, Savannah Latin Swing, Roberto Blades, Atlanta Show Band and Millie Quezada.

“This year the festival will put on an even greater display of Latin Music, with a mix of salsa, merengue, bachata, regional Mexican band music, Socca, Urbano, and a variety of sounds and rhythms spun by the DJs,” according to a news release issued by the organization. “... The foods will range from tasty Cuban sandwiches to freshly made empanadas, Caribbean food, Mexican food, and more.”

For more information about the Tri-City Latino Festival, go to http://www.trifestival.com/.

This story was originally published September 14, 2017 at 4:32 PM with the headline "Tri-city Latino Festival reaches 5-year milestone, expect fireworks."