CAPA's Festival Latino Brings Spice to Downtown's Genoa Park August 11 & 12
Posted: July 20, 2018
Produced by CAPA since 2009 and honored with an Experience Columbus EXPY Award in 2016, Festival Latino is the largest Latin event in Ohio, and marks its 22nd year in 2018. This family-friendly, free event celebrates family and community with two days of children’s activities, music, food, fashion, art, and dance from the heart of Latin America. Festival Latino 2018 will be held at Genoa Park on Saturday and Sunday, August 11 and 12, from 11am-8pm daily.
“We are proud to say that 2018 is CAPA’s 10th year producing Festival Latino,” stated CAPA President and CEO Chad Whittington. “CAPA is committed to diverse and quality programming, and we look forward to entertaining large crowds again this year with the wide variety of talented artists the Latin culture has to offer.”
Festival Latino is presented by HONDA. Other Festival Latino sponsors include the City of Columbus, Department of Recreation and Parks; Nationwide; LBrands Foundation; Team Fishel; Abbott; Ohio Small Business Development Center; and Duke’s Mayo. Additional support provided by AEP; Bath Fitter; Catholic Social Services; Crabtree Insurance Inc.; Our Lady of Guadalupe Center; Dawson; Fifth Third Bank; Installed Building Products; MetroPCS; Mount Carmel Health System; Nationwide Children’s Hospital; NiSource; The Ohio Commission on Minority Health; The Ohio State University Department of Spanish and Portuguese; and The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. Additional support provided by Hilton Columbus.
NATIONWIDE FIESTA STAGE
Saturday, August 11
11:00 am – DJ Cale
DJ Cale caters to Caribbean and Latin American tastes, spinning salsa, merengue, bachata, reggaeton, Latin pop, Latin dance, house, and a touch of American Top 40 music.
2:45 pm – Gina Chavez
Mexican – Folk
Eight-time Austin Music Award winner and 2015 Austin Musician of the Year, singer/songwriter Gina Chavez’s original take on traditional folk blends her dynamic vocals with hints of cumbia, bossa nova, vintage pop, and reggaetón.
4:15 pm – Típico Urbano
Dominican – Merengue
Geni, Yánez, and Sebastián of the NYC-based Típico Urbano put an original, modern twist on merengue típico, the oldest style of merengue, infusing traditional Dominican rhythms with youthful lyrics and new and exciting musical concepts.
6:15 pm – Lupillo Rivera
Mexican – Banda
Perhaps best known for his album Despreciado, Grammy Award-winning singer/songwriter Lupillo Rivera has netted 15 Top 50 singles on the Billboard Hot Latin Songs chart, and is currently touring in support of his 2017 album, El Malo.
Sunday, August 12
11:00 am – DJ Cale
DJ Cale caters to Caribbean and Latin American tastes, spinning salsa, merengue, bachata, reggaeton, Latin pop, Latin dance, house, and a touch of American Top 40 music.
1:00 pm – The Ark Band
Columbus-based The Ark Band has toured across the US, Canada, and Jamaica sharing its roots reggae, calypso, and soca music.
2:00 pm – Ritmo Ondas
Featuring Rachel Sepulveda and Victor Zancudo, salsa band Ritmo Ondas performs current and classic pop hits from artists such as Ricky Martin, Enrique Iglesias, Prince Royce, La India, and Gloria Estefan, as well as some of their own original songs.
4:15 pm – Frank Reyes
Dominican – Bachata
Known as "The Prince of Bachata," singer Frank Reyes is one of the most recognized champions of the genre worldwide with hits such as "Noche de Pasion," "Amor Desperdiciado," "Se Me Olvido Que Te Amaba," and "Como Sanar” among many others.
6:15 pm – El Gran Combo
Puerto Rican – Salsa
Considered one of the most successful salsa orchestras of all time, El Gran Combo has released more than 60 studio albums of soul-stirring Latin rhythms and lush vocal harmonies over the course of their more than 55-year-long career.
Additional main stage attractions include:
Special Festival Host – B. A-Star
Richard Bastar Jr., known as B. A-Star, is a former member of the group Tercera Generacion (or 3G) with his brothers, boasting the fact that they are the third generation of Bastar in the music industry. Now pursuing a solo project, B. A-Star has created a new urban dance sound, releasing more than ten singles since 2011.
Abbott Children’s Area
12 pm – 6 pm daily, no charge for activities
Children’s area activities will include:
Balloon Artist – Clayton Beeney will create fun balloon sculptures for children from 2-4pm daily.
COSI – COSI will bring their exciting live shows and engaging family activities outdoors along Washington Boulevard. Festival-goers will have opportunities to play, explore, and learn about science together with COSI’s Science Spots and thrilling demonstrations.
Mexican Flowers – Big, beautiful flowers are used in Mexico to decorate on days of celebration. Join the members of the Latin Ladies & Friends Organization as they help children construct these colorful creations.
Book Giveaways – Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Ohio will be handing out children’s books. Columbus City Schools’ Columbus Spanish Immersion Academy will be handing out Spanish children’s books.
Product Sampling – Abbott will be handing out free samples of some of their most popular healthy hydrations for kids and adults.
Fluoride Screenings – Nationwide Children’s Hospital will provide free fluoride screenings for kids.
Additional children’s activities will be provided by:
Franklin County Children Services
Girl Scouts of Ohio’s Heartland Council, Inc.
DANCE PLAZA
Saturday, August 11
12:00 pm – Columbus Bilingual Academy North’s Compañia de Danza
The Academy’s elementary students will perform a folkloric dance.
2:00 pm – Salsa Lessons with Carlos Rubio
Take a salsa dance lesson from “The Salsa King of Ohio.” Carlos “El Hiperactivo” Rubio is an instructor at the Salsamante Dance Academy and Ohio’s all-time winning-est salsa dancer.
3:00 pm – Salsamante Dance Academy
Enjoy salsa performances from instructors and students of Columbus’ first and only salsa dance studio.
5:00 pm – El Corazon de Mexico
Toledo-based dance company El Corazon de Mexico Ballet Folklorico (The Heart of Mexico) will demonstrate the beauty and charm of traditional Mexican dances.
Sunday, August 12
1:00 pm – El Corazon de Mexico
2:00 pm – Salsa Lessons with Carlos Rubio
3:00 pm – Salsamante Dance Academy
4:00 pm – El Corazon de Mexico
5:00 pm – Latin Fashion Show
Catch a showcase and celebration of Latin style as local adults and children model a progression of fashion from traditional Latin clothing through the modern designs of today.
Artists’ Showcase
Ohio-based Latin artists will display and sell their visual artwork in the Artists’ Showcase area. Featured artists in 2018 will include:
Darsy Amaya – jewelry
CoCo Tribe – handmade handbags and accessories
Abraham Cordova – hand-drawn artwork on screen-printed t-shirts and posters
Kenny Ramos – photography
Jeremy Rosario – original paintings
Giovanni “Gio” Santiago – muralist
AUTHORS’ SHOWCASE
Latin writers will display and sell their work in the Authors’ Showcase area. Featured authors in 2018 will include novelist Ani Palacios and comics artist Camilo Quevedo.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS AREA
The Health & Wellness Area will host a variety of local health and social service organizations offering free health screenings and bilingual information on their services. Participating organizations include:
American Red Cross
Columbus Public Health
Equitas Health
Lower Lights Christian Health Center
Maryhaven
Mount Carmel Health System
Ohio Commission on Minority Health
St. Vincent Family Center
The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center
Community Resources Area
The Community Resources area will offer information about local education and community programs. Participating organizations include:
DACA Time
El Centro de Servicios Sociales, Inc.
Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Community Response Bureau
Homes on The Hill CDC (Community Development Corporation)
Inspire Elementary School
Ohio Department of Administrative Services, Equal Opportunity Division
Food Vendors
Festival Latino will offer a wide variety of cuisine from Latin America and beyond. For a full list of participating vendors, please visit www.FestivalLatino.net.
Marketplace
The Festival Latino marketplace will include jewelry, arts, crafts, and a variety of other traditional items from Latin America. For a full list of participating vendors, please visit www.FestivalLatino.net.
Festival Policy
Guests are encouraged to bring blankets and chairs for lawn seating.
Not permitted in Genoa Park:
Unauthorized vehicles on sidewalks or in the parks
Commercial activities, including soliciting and/or vending without permission from CAPA
Panhandling
Camping
Cooking grills or open fires
Feeding the geese or other wildlife
Drones
Illegal drug use
Illegal weapons
Alcohol (except that purchased on site at the event)
Glass containers
Pets (prohibited for the safety of Festival-goers)
Skateboards
Large shade structures including tents and umbrellas (both for patio and chair)
Staking of any type
Coolers
Bicycles (to be parked in designated areas)
Rain Policy
Festival Latino is a rain or shine event. There is no rain location.
Parking
Paid parking for the public and handicapped is available at COSI (333 W. Broad St.), the Columbus Commons garage (55 E. Rich St.), and nearby surface lots.
Bicycle Parking
Bicycle racks will be located at each Festival entrance.
All acts and scheduled performance times are subject to change without notice.
