Chattanooga State’s International Outreach Office announces the date for its Third Annual Latin Festival 2017 on Saturday, May 6 from 11 a.m.-3 p.m. at the Highland Park Commons in downtown Chattanooga.
Latin Festival is designed as a free community celebration. Event proceeds benefit Chattanooga State’s Latino Scholarship and English as a Second Language Program, and the 2016-2017 academic year made it possible to award 98 scholarships, including 23 Latino scholars and 75 ESL scholars.
"Latin Festival 2017 has the spirit of a Caribbean carnival with fun for all ages and backgrounds. The Festival features traditional folkloric dance and musical performances by local artists and regional performers, a parade of nations, authentic food court, pavilion of faith, Latino-American soccer tournament, visual artists’ showcase, Hispanic Heritage Fashion throughout the day, and plenty of family fun
"Once again a unique part of Latin Festival is its Passport to Latin-American Challenge, which is a fun cultural learning experience available for up to 500 participants. It will “challenge” people to connect with 16 educational booths and provide activities to learn about different Latin countries represented in Chattanooga. Goodie Prize Bags will be available for participants completing the challenge.
"This year, the Latino-American Soccer Cup 2017 will take place from May 3-6. We will partner with Highland Park Commons, YMCA Metro, City of Chattanooga, Highland Park Neighborhood Association, Chattanooga Neighborhood Association, La Paz Chattanooga, Chattanooga Zoo, 27 Hispanic Churches, Chattanooga Police Department, and Hamilton County Department of Education to develop a wonderfully diverse program during Latin Festival 2017.
"Chattanooga State is honored to have leadership support for Latin Festival from the Benwood Foundation, the Maclellan Foundation, Atlantic Capital Bank, EPB, TVA, and other sponsors that are helping make this free community event come to life," officials said.
For more information, contact Gladys Pineda-Loher at Gladys.pineda-loher@chattanoogastate.edu, call 423-697-3204, or visit the Latin Festival website www.latinfestivalcha.org.