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Festival Latino began as a 5 hour event in Columbus, Ohio, in 1996. After an overwhelmingly positive response, it was expanded to a two day festival.
This year it will be happening on Saturday, August 12 and Sunday, August 13, 2023, from 11 am to 8 pm. The festival offers live music, dancing in the streets, cultural and arts workshops for both kids and adults, delicious Latin American cuisine and community information.
The Latino Festival began with live entertainment from local musicians and singers. Then it expanded its program to include regional entertainers and then national talent. It now includes international musical stars.
Entertainment Schedule
DJ Cali offers Caribbean and Latin American music, spinning salsa, merengue, bachata, Latin pop, reggae, house and Latin dance. He’ll be at the festival on both Saturday and Sunday.
Saturday
- 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm – Ale Almanza with “Adivine Qui,” “Tonto Corazon” and “Come Kendo Kapani”
- 2:45 pm to 3:45 pm – Zancudo is led by singer and songwriter Victor Zancudo. The band has a unique take on Latin pop.
- 4:15 pm to 5:30 pm – Alex Matos is a Dominican Republic salsa artist. He won Salsa Artist of the Year in 2012 and 2013 at the Cassandra Awards.
- 6:30 pm to 8 pm – Los Baguaru is led by director and founder Angel Vargas. They’re among the leading practitioners of cumbia, a Tropical music genre popular throughout Latin America.
Sunday
- 1:15 pm to 2:15 pm – Los Borirengues del Swing consists of 3 Puerto Rican musicians who want the audience to join them in singing and dancing.
- 2:45 pm to 3:45 pm – Latin Fever All Stars is an international group from the Caribbean and different countries and Latin America. They bring a mix of styles and genres to their live performances.
- 4:15 pm to 5:30 pm – Adolescentes Orquestia is a Venezuelan “romantica” salsa to band that have entertainment audiences worldwide since their start in the mid 1990s. They’re known for their lively rhythms, catchy melodies and their heartfelt lyrics. They won a 2005 Latin Grammy for their album “Respiro.”
- 6:30 pm to 8 pm – Eddy Herrera is a 7 time Cassandra Award winning vocalist. He’s from the Dominican Republic and his genre is merengue. He’s won several Latin Grammy Awards and served as one of the coaches in the second season of “The Voice Dominica.”
Food
I don’t know about you, but my favorite part of any festival is almost always the food. I love trying new dishes and sides. Festival Latino has lined up some great food trucks and food vendors offering great Latin American cuisine items. Vendors include
- Foodlamo
- Spanish Bowl
- My Pasofino
- Komodo Loco
- Diamonds Ice Cream
- Laguna Mexican Street Food
- Dream Cakes
- ICEE Rainbows
- The Best Pina Colada
- Rocoto
- ChouVAN
- Grand Lemonade Cup
- Mango Mango
- Panaderia La Oaxaquena
- Sofi’s Mini Donuts
- Si Senor Taco Mexican Grill
- Tortilla
- The Lemon King
- Rancho Mateo
- Mordisco
- Sabor Bullicio
Marketplace Vendors
Arts & Crafts vendors as well as merchandise and service vendors will be at the festival to provide for a great shopping experience. Some of the vendors include
- Acapulco Crafts
- Giovanni’s Peruvian Art
- My PasoFino
- Taino Wears
- Mundo Latino
- Expresiones Mexicana
- La Palmita
- Lidias Place
- Sumakta
- Lex USA
- Bethlehem Olivewood
- Eliette’s Vanity
Latin American Cuisine
If you enjoyed the Latin American food at the Festival Latino and now you’d like to learn more about Latin American cooking, try these cookbooks. You can use our links to save money on them.
- Latin American Street Food: The Best Flavors of Markets, Beaches and Roadside Stands from Mexico to Argentina by Sandra A. Gutierrez
- A Taste of Latin America: Culinary Traditions & Classic Recipes by Patricia Cartin
- The Book of Latin American Cooking by Elisabeth Lam Ortiz
Or you can enjoy Latin American cuisine in the Best 10 Latin American Restaurants in Columbus, Ohio, as chosen by the users of TripAdvisor.
- Los Guachos Taqueria
- Bakersfield
- Arepazo Tapas Bar & Grill
- Sidebar Columbus
- Louies Grill Fusion
- 3 Brothers Diner
- La Casita
- Cuco’s Taqueria
- El Vaquero Mexican Restaurant
- Dos Hermanos Taco Truck
If you love Latin American food but can’t get to these restaurants one night, you can get food delivered from Los Guachos Taqueria by DoorDash. Check out their menu.
Columbus Hotels
If you’d like to visit Columbus for the Festival Latino, you should consider staying at the following hotels. They are all offering discounted rates which could save you money on your stay.
- Comfort Inn Grove City – Columbus South 19% Discount
- Cambria Hotel Columbus – Polaris 19% Discount
- Quality Inn & Suites North 19% Discount
- Comfort Suites Columbus Airport 19% Discount
- Econo Lodge Wilson Bridge 19% Discount
- Quality Inn Columbus East 19% Discount
- Comfort Suites Columbus East Broad 19% Discount
- Quality Inn & Suites South/Obetz 19% Discount
- Comfort Inn North – Polaris 19% Discount
- Rodeway Inn Parkway Lane 19% Discount
- Quality Inn & Suites Columbus West 19% Discount
- Comfort Suites Grove City – Columbus South 18% Discount
- Executive Suites 15% Discount
- Mainstay Suites Columbus 15% Discount
- Rodeway Inn Columbus 8% Discount
- Quality Inn Grove City – Columbus South 8% Discount
- Comfort Suites Columbus West – Hilliard 5% Discount