Fiesta!
Latin Street Fair celebrates food, music, culture of growing community
By Chansin Bird
SENIOR Writer

ISSUE: 05/01/07 > A&E > FIESTA!

Photos COURTESY OF DAVID HERRERA Belmont’s annual Latin Street Fair, scheduled this year to coincide with Cinco de Mayo (Day of Mexican Independence) May 5, will feature music, food, dance, family activities and much more. In these photos from last year’s festival, participants take advantage of the outdoor campus setting, complete with dance floor and traditional Mexican fun such as breaking a piñata and dancing to the sounds of salsa.

The sounds of Latin music, kids laughing and food grilling will echo through the quad this Cinco de Mayo. Fiesta Belmont, Nashville’s largest Latin street fair, will be held for the third year in a row on Saturday, May 5.

“It was a nice break from studying because it’s right there on campus,” sophomore Alyssa Stell, who went to the event last year, said. “I think a lot of freshmen went because we woke to Mexican music.”

The event, lasting from 11 a.m.-7 p.m., will feature continuous Latin music performances, over 30 vendors with authentic Spanish cuisine, cultural displays, folkloric dancers and free kids activities such as face painting and piñatas. Attendance is free.

“Most street fairs charge five dollars plus parking,” Curb faculty member and event director David Herrera said. “We don’t charge to attend. You just pay for your own food.”

Providing food will be families, mom-and-pop businesses and small, family-owned restaurants as well as Qdoba and Sodexho.

The Latin music will vary. From salsa music with brass instruments to regional Mexican music with a polka sound and reggaeton, the younger Spanish rap style, festival attendees will hear a little of everything.

“I grew up in the southwest where every spring there was a huge Latin street fair,” Herrera said. “It was always fun, there were tons of activities for kids, music and great food cooked by families. I’m trying to mirror [Fiesta Belmont] after the same event I grew up with.”

He thinks the fair is a positive way to portray the Latin community and have the communities mingle in Nashville. Herrera’s concert promotions class has helped implement the event and next year he plans on the class taking care of the entire festival.

“It gives students a chance to mount an event that is larger than one you do at the Curb Café,” he said.

The event is happening a month later this year in hopes of warmer weather and because Cinco de Mayo falls on a Saturday. Students will be close to finishing finals so they can take the opportunity for a break from studying.

Getting There

Fiesta Belmont, the largest Latin street fair in the area, is scheduled 11 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday, May 5 on the university campus. Event director David Herrera said if students want to face-paint, set up decorations or contribute in some other way, they should contact him at ext. 6908, through e-mail or get info at www.latinstreetfair.com.

Proceeds benefit the YMCA Hispanic Achievers Program, which mentorsunderprivileged Hispanic youth in the area. Several scholarships will be awarded from part of the food sales and money raised by Sam’s Club/Wal-Mart, which is the main event sponsor in addition to the university.

“[Being involved in Fiesta Belmont] broadens our reach into communities that might not otherwise know about us,” said Pamela Johnson, strategic marketing director for the university. “We do a lot of work in different areas in Nashville and this is one wonderful way we celebrate a different fabric that exists here. We want them to know we’re a good place to go to school and come to work.”

Like most places in the United States, Nashville’s Hispanic population continues to grow.

“I encourage students to come to the event,” Herrera said. “Get out of the dorm and hang out for an hour or two. Have some great food. It’s relatively inexpensive. Be part of the scene. The more people we can get to attend, the bigger it can be next year.”

Last year up to 3,500 people came. He hopes for three to five thousand people in attendance this year. Sponsors look for high attendance, and if there is a good showing, organizers will be able to obtain more funding in the future. Herrera would like to expand the event and move it off-campus next year. He wants it to eventually become a two- to three-day fair or combine it with a concert.