Panama City's Hispanic Heritage Festival is growing. Here's what to expect this year.
PANAMA CITY — Various Hispanic and Latino cultures will come together in Panama City in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month.
The public is invited to attend the Hispanic Heritage Festival from 3 to 9 p.m. Oct. 8 at Carl Grey Park, 4400 Collegiate Drive, in Panama City. Hosted by the city of Panama City, the festival is returning for its second year in Bay County.
Hispanic Heritage Month, which spans from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15, is annually celebrated nationwide and commemorates the history and culture of U.S. Hispanic and Latino communities and their influences and contributions to society.
Hispanic population booms: Bay County's Hispanic population boomed by a whopping 70% in the last decade. Here's why
Sean DePalma, director of the city's quality of life department, said the event's primary purpose is to shed light on the growing diverse populations in Bay County.
"The Hispanic and Latino population is one of the fastest growing groups in Panama City, and it's important for our community to highlight their culture in this way," DePalma said. "We want a welcoming integration into America's mainstream society and allow them to meet their neighbors while being exposed to some of their cultures."
Live music, vendors and arts and crafts
The Hispanic Heritage festival explores various Hispanic cultures through arts and crafts and a mix of live entertainment from local performers and international performers from South American countries. The lineup includes performances by Zona Libre, Gypsy Rhythm Dancers, Interactive Dance, Musico Edwin, Showsen and Pieneros.
In addition to the live entertainment, the family-friendly festival will have close to 50 vendors along with eight food trucks. Other activities include face painting, inflatables, a Velcro wall, live mural painting and more.
With the inaugural event's success, organizers anticipate a much larger crowd for this year's festival. DePalma said although the event's location was moved because of the downtown streetscape project, he hopes the bigger venue will allow attendees to enjoy a spacious environment.
Return of fishing rodeo: Panama City Beach Fishing Rodeo is returning. This is what you can expect this year.
"We're expecting it to be much larger than last year's event," DePalma said, noting that last year's festival was held at McKenzie Park. "We're so excited that we're able to provide another community event that integrates different cultures and diversity so that we could become a more well-rounded city."
In partnership with the city, the event is sponsored by First Federal Bank, Ink Trax Inc., Gulf Coast State College, Florida State University Panama City, Community Heritage Project, Havana Nights Restaurant, Fiesta Party Rentals and Magic World of Rossy.
This article originally appeared on The News Herald: Panama City Hispanic Heritage Festival: Music, arts, vendors on tap
