Inaugural festival celebrates Latin culture

WHILE the weather is getting cooler, Hispanos Unidos de Victoria are bringing the heat to the Garden for the Future for their first Bendigo Latin Festival this weekend.

The event will celebrate all Spanish-speaking cultures with food trucks, handmade crafts and souvenirs, dancing workshops from iDance and Latin Vibe Connect and performances from Latin band Calle Luna and DJ Juan Opalo.

President of Hispanos Unidos de Victoria, Jorge Restrepo, said the Latin community in Bendigo has grown over the four years he’s been here, and now is the perfect time to hold the festival.

“When I moved about here four years and [the community was small], then we started growing and growing,” he said. “But we don’t know each other, so the festival is going to be a good way to say where here, let’s be together.

“We know there’s many people in Australia that like the Spanish-speaking cultures so we thought ‘why don’t we do it in Bendigo now we’re based here?’.

“You can get Latin festivals in Melbourne, but in regional Victoria there are none.”

Community member Miriam Casas said Bendigo provides a central location for Spanish-speaking cultures across the state.

“It was at one of the Easter festivals we noticed Bendigo is central, we had people coming up from Melbourne and from northern areas of the states,” she said “We’re here we just don’t know we’re here.

“We’ve got a lady coming from Wodonga who let us know she’ll be here, that’s exciting.

“Bendigo has so many things to offer, so many festivals, we just had Groovin’ the Moo and we hope this one becomes one of those. From little things big things come.”

The Festival is supported by a $3000 grant from the City of Greater Bendigo and will run from 10am to 3pm on Saturday, 14 May.