Newsletter

Latin Festival

By Lucy Mencimer

October 12, 2026

On Saturday September 26, faculty, students and community members alike gathered in the Events Barn to celebrate the Latin Festival for Latine Heritage Month. Latin Fest is run by La Vanguardia, Hamilton’s Latine(x) student organization. The Events Barn was fabulously decorated with Latin-themed decor and flags were set up along the railings of the Barn, including the Brazilian, Honduran, Dominican and Guatemalan flags. Over the speakers, excellent selections of Latin music like Amor Completo by Chilean-Mexican artist Mon Laferte, and Beso by Mexican artist Joséan Log played. Family weekend brought in lots of families to the event to enjoy Latin food from Mi Casa and a night of dancing. 

The event started out with a speech from Carol Daquilema and Lucas Andia, the President and Vice President of La Vanguardia. The pair gave a Land Acknowledgment and followed up by giving a brief history of Latine Heritage Month. It was first recognized by Lyndon B Johnson in 1968 as a heritage week, but was expanded into a month by the Reagan administration. Daquilema and Andia gave a brief background on La Vanguardia, which was formed by two Hamilton students in 1984 in order to support Latine students on campus. 

The speech was then followed up by an adorable performance of about ten girls with the dance group Ritmo Caribeño & Raíces. Their instructors, giving directions from the audience, followed up the girls' performance with an energetic performance of their own. 

The audience watched attentively while enjoying the food options which included Latin food from Mi Casa and a delicious cake called “Impossible” which, prepared upside down, is a cake-layer underneath a layer of flan. 

The evening concluded at 8pm with attendants taking to the dance floor to dance the night away.