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STATE COLLEGE -- The Happy Valley Latin Festival will return to downtown State College next month, kicking off a month of events celebrating Hispanic and Latin American culture throughout the region.
The sixth annual festival is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 12, at the Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza and the 100 block of South Fraser Street. The free event will serve as the regional kickoff to Hispanic Heritage Month programming continuing through Oct. 15.
Organizers said the festival has grown significantly since its beginnings in 2021, with approximately 2,500 people attending last year’s event.
This year’s festival will feature live music, traditional dress, food, children’s activities and craft vendors. A parade will showcase traditional clothing from Latin America and other regions, while children will carry flags representing their families’ home countries.
Food vendors will offer a variety of traditional dishes, including Peruvian pastries, Colombian empanadas, Honduran tamales, Mexican tacos and Brazilian coxinhas. Several Latina-owned small businesses will also participate as craft vendors for the first time.
The festival will also help launch the second annual Latin Art Exhibition, titled “Hands That Build, Roots in Motion: We plant, we build, we flourish.”
Hosted by the Borough of State College, the exhibition will feature work by local and regional Latinx and Latin American artists. It follows last year’s inaugural “#SomosCultura” exhibition and will be part of the month-long celebration of Latin heritage.
The Happy Valley Latin Festival was created by Adianez “Ady” Martínez, owner of Juana’s Venezuelan Cuisine, as a way to showcase the talents and culture of the area’s Latino and Hispanic communities.
The event eventually helped grow into Latin Vibe, a nonprofit organization Martínez helped establish to promote Hispanic leadership development and community, educational, social and cultural programming in State College and surrounding communities. The festival remains the organization’s flagship event.
The Borough of State College, Happy Valley Adventure Bureau, Centre County Board of Commissioners, Downtown State College Improvement District and other community organizations and sponsors are supporting this year’s festival.