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Visitors to the festival could indulge in freshly made churros, empanadas, cane juice, and Tostitos, all while watching live dance and music.<\/p>\n
Claudia Montecinos, who was born in Chile and runs the stall ChilenOzi with her partner, said she loved coming to Bendigo for the festival.<\/p>\n
“I’ve offered to expose it a bit more, especially in Melbourne,” she said. “I’ve got a lot of friends who have lived here a long time like I have, I also know a lot of international tourists and people who want to about Victoria.”<\/p>\n
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Ms Montecinos said she supports the festival by encouraging her friends in the Melbourne Latin community to travel to Bendigo to see what’s on offer.<\/p>\n
“When they get here, they realise Bendigo is a little bit far from Melbourne, but this is wonderful. It’s got everything; what more do you want,” she said.<\/p>\n
One great part of the festival she said, was the opportunity to shop local and support Victorian-based Latin businesses.<\/p>\n
“I’ve lived in Melbourne all my life and I realise that with everything Latin, although we make a bit of noise, we’re still a very small community,” she said.<\/p>\n
“I like that the local people (Bendigo), they want to know about us, and they support us.”<\/p>\n
Ms Montecinos’ stall ChilenOzi was one of the stalls selling products from Latin America.<\/p>\n
The festival was live streamed on the day by Pheonix FM and festivities included dance workshops, live music, pinatas, and lots of eating.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
AN AROMA of grilled corn wafted over the gardens of the future at the weekend for the fourth annual Bendigo Latin Festival. Started by a group of friends who wanted to bring a celebration of Latin culture to the region, the festival has become known for showcasing a range of food, stalls, and entertainment from […]<\/p>\n