Next year, there will be children and dogs, too. There will be more social media marketing and fewer total solar eclipses.
The first-ever ¡Viva Vancouver! Festival, a two-day celebration of Latino food, drink, music and dance, was a learning experience for organizers. Nearly everything about the event was perfect, organizers Diana Avalos and Domingo Estrada said: the weather, the entertainment, the refreshments, even the beautiful boats pulling close on the waterfront to listen.
If anything was missing, it was mobs of people. A small crowd had gathered when The Columbian stopped by ¡Viva Vancouver!, late on Saturday afternoon; ticket buyers were just starting to pour into Vancouver Landing at Terminal 1, the waterfront amphitheater, at 5 p.m. as Conjunto Alegre, a big international band based in Portland, took the stage. Headliner the Pura Vida Orquestra was set for 7 p.m.
“We see this as a first time,” said Victor Magdaleno, who worked with Estrada to organizer vendors for the event.
“There’s a lot of distraction with the eclipse,” Aleida Gonzalez said.
The festival was intended to celebrate Latino culture while raising money for positive Latino youth projects — but the alcohol-friendly event was 21-and-up only. Next year, Avalos said, that may change with the addition of a “family day” on Sunday.
Also, she said, she heard from a lot of folks who wanted to bring their dogs. That may be part of the scene next year, too.
A Latino cultural festival was long overdue in Clark County, said Carmen McKibbin, a local activist and owner of the Vida Flare food truck. “This is really cool,” she said. “It takes leadership to put on an event like this. It’s a labor of love. I wish it could have been sooner, but I’m just glad to promote our beautiful Latino culture. It has to start somewhere.”
The celebration continues at a tamale festival that’s been scheduled for 1 p.m. Oct. 21 at Reflection Plaza in Washougal, McKibbin said.
Look out for more details to come about that festival.
