Those in Brighton Core Park throughout the weekend were up and moving thanks to the fifth annual Latin Summer Festival, hosted by Latam, which highlights the Latino businesses of Canada. “It’s a two-day event. So, we are in our last day of the event. And there’s a lot of food, culture, connection, our vendors, entrepreneurs, artists and performers that are coming today,” Zusana Gavidia, the Saskatchewan director of Latam, said. Gavidia added that the event has steadily grown in its five-year existence. “It started with a simple barbecue with the community. So nowadays [it] is this big two-day event where we gather, where we connect with the community and have fun,” Gavidia said. After receiving such positive feedback from that initial barbecue, the event quickly became an annual tradition. “After that, people asked, ‘When is there a Latin festival?’ And we come now for five years... The people [are] happy,” Manuel Rodriguez, president of Latam, said. The park featured a variety of Latin food, music and performances throughout the weekend. Many of the performances provided the opportunity for audience members to get on their feet and move along to the music, while learning more about the culture. “The most important thing for us is the connection and sharing our culture with all the community, with all the Brighton community and all Saskatoon as well,” Gavidia said. Gavidia added that the spirit of the event is rooted in the values she heavily associates with Latin culture. “I believe that connection is very important for us. As an immigrant, gather[ing] within our culture is very important. It’s also part of our mental health. And we love to connect, to have fun with different people,” Gavidia said.
