Party time at Latin Festival

MEMBERS of Hispanos Unidos de Victoria, a central Victorian Latin American group, are looking forward to holding their second Bendigo Latin Festival next weekend.

The event will include several music and dance groups from around the state and lots of cultural food.

Organiser, Miriam Casas, said the Latin community and general interest in the culture is growing rapidly.

“In the past month we’ve had I think three couples move to Bendigo,” she said. “We’ve noticed ever since the pandemic hit a lot of people are coming north.”

Last year’s event was held in May, but due to the poor weather they experienced organisers have decided to bring the event forward by a few months.

“Last year we had it in May, and we had rain pretty much all day people came anyway and they struggled through the rain, they danced and enjoyed themselves,” she said.

Ms Casas said their aim is to grow the festival year upon year so that more people from Central Victoria get to experience their culture.

The plan is to do this every year and ultimately in five years, it becomes a two-day festival,” she said.

“Bendigo is an amazing little city, and it just brings something that is ours.”

Alejandro Ariza and his partner moved to Bendigo from Melbourne for work three-and-a-half years ago.

“At the beginning I moved to Melbourne to study English, and then just fell in love with Australia,” said Mr Ariza.

When the couple started looking for a Latin community they met Ms Casas and Jorge Restrepo, president of the organisation.

Four months ago, Mr Ariza said he became more involved with the organisational part of the group, and his duties for this festival will include acting as the Spanish-speaking MC.

“I just help them because I really like to do it…especially the last festival.”

Bendigo Latin Festival is set Saturday, 25 March at Garden for the Future in White Hills between 11am to 8pm.