By Chloe Holmes
Baltimore Watchdog Staff Writer
The seventh annual Fiesta Baltimore took place last weekend in Patterson Park, even though many attendees were worried about the raids being conducted around the country by agents from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).
Fiesta Baltimore is a free festival celebrating Latino heritage, traditions, arts, food, music and community. Hosted by Nuestras Raíces Inc., Fiesta Baltimore brought together residents to enjoy live performances, artisan vendors, cultural exhibits, and family-friendly activities.
Before arriving at Fiesta Baltimore, visitors like Daniel Boudanai were met with the inviting smell of street food, leading them to the park before they could see it.
“I followed the parade here and had to check it out after seeing how big the crowd was,” said Boudanai, who lives in Baltimore..
Being the largest Latino cultural event in the city, Patterson Park was vibrant, and the crowd kept coming. On the second day of Fiesta Baltimore, the Parade of Latino Nations took place around 2 p.m. to end the weekend.
The parade consisted of groups representing many Latino countries with floats and dancers, some of whom threw candy to the crowd. The parade concluded with the Dancing Horses, a performance of highly trained horses with choreographed movements.
Although there was a large lively crowd happy to be celebrating Latino culture, some people said they were hesitant to attend the festival this year because of the current political atmosphere.
Julia Palomino, a co-owner of Withlotsofamor, a local business that sells apparel, mugs, water bottles, party invitations and other items, said she and her sister were concerned about attending because of the ICE raids occurring across America.
“We were like fifty-fifty on it,” Palomino said. “We weren’t sure, but at the same time, we feel like the more we show up, the more we’ll show we’re not scared and that we’ll be here to stay.”
“We’ve been doing this for about five years,” Palomino added. “It means I’m able to share my culture with other people.”
For Roberto Olvera, a Capoeira teacher, it was just as important for him to show up at Fiesta Baltimore for his community despite the fear of the unknown. (Capoeria is Brazilian martial arts that combines dance and traditional music.)
“These opportunities are great because we are safe in the community, and we want to show the kids that they have us,” Olvera said. “I am Mexican myself, so I want to gather my kids, my Latin kids, and share the art that I have dedicated my life to and give them the opportunity to learn.”
“We started with a big group, like 20 kids,” said Olvera. “And then after [Donald] Trump won [the presidency in 2024] and all the ICE raids started, we went from 20 to zero because people were afraid to bring their kids outside.”
Baltimore resident Tania Matute came to the festival for the first time this year after seeing it advertised on social media.
“They had so many vendors, a lot of options of food,” Matute said. “It was a really great experience.”