Fiesta DC, the largest Latino festival in the D.C. area, set up on Constitution Avenue to celebrate the richness of Central and South American cultures in its annual parade on Sept. 28 and 29.
On the third Sunday of every September, Fiesta DC, a nonprofit organization that aims to preserve and promote Latino heritage in the D.C. area, puts on the Parade of the Nations to showcase the diversity and positive impact Latino cultures bring to the city.
Fiesta DC dates back to the 1970s, originating in the Mount Pleasant neighborhood. As the festival grew in popularity, Fiesta DC moved to the National Mall to host a wider audience. It was first organized by community activists who wanted to showcase the growing influence of their thriving cultures.
Fiesta DC has become a cornerstone event for Latino culture in D.C.. It is a space for Central and South American nationalities to come together for a sense of unity, pride and visibility. It will continue their legacy every third Sunday of September for years to come.
The parade features 17 countries and stretches along the National Mall from 7th to 14th Avenue. Spectators holding national flags from their respective countries lined the street as floats from the different countries cruised down the avenue, adorned with their traditional colors and music.
The parade showcased performances highlighting traditional music, dances and clothing. El Divino Salvador Termundo, a church-based Salvadoran folk dance group, performed a traditional folk dance.
Members of the El Divino wore blue and white costumes, representing the colors of the Salvadoran flag. Each costume was decorated with traditional drawings that represented the values of their country. These drawings featured traditional colors, foods, flowers and characters of El Salvador.
Alongside the dancing and musical performances, winners from international beauty pageant competitions graced numerous floats throughout the parade.
Maria René Urizar, a beauty pageant competitor representing Guatemala and the United States, won the opportunity three years in a row to share a float in the parade with other pageant competitors. The pageant queens wore extravagant bedazzled dresses with sashes representing Teenager Petite Universe Guatemala.
“I feel like this parade is definitely something that's very important because it lets Hispanics from all over the world show off our culture to other people,” René Urizar said. “It's definitely something that makes a lot of people open their eyes and have an open mind too.”
The festival was packed with traditional food, vendors, services and nonprofit organizations — including a vendor from Ecuador who was selling traditional Ecuadorian ponchos made in his hometown.
Stephanie Nieves, a chef for her family-owned Mexican-Colombian fusion restaurant Laredo, was cooking up traditional foods with her entire family. Originally from Colombia, Nieves’ uncle opened up Laredo with his entire family. Nieves said she takes pride in the traditional cooking she and her uncle learned from her mother.
Other vendors included services and non-profit organizations to help address the needs of the Latino community in the D.C. area.
Simon Sandoval, partner at Murray Osorio, an immigration law firm based in Silver Spring, Maryland, highlighted the many services they provide, aimed at helping Latino communities in the D.C. area that have been targeted on a national scale by anti-immigrant sentiment. These services include issues relating to deportation proceedings, bringing in foreign relatives, marriage, green cards and naturalization.
“The D.C. area is unique because there’s no one immigrant group that dominates,” Sandoval said. “We have so many parts of Latin America. We’re here to let people know about the services we offer.”
This article was edited by Mackenzie Konjoyan, Maya Cederlund, Tyler Davis and Abigail Turner. Copy editing done by Luna Jinks, Ella Rousseau, Sabine Kanter-Huchting and Ariana Kavoossi.
