Attendees dance, eat, and embrace Latin American culture at 18th annual festival
Photo by Sarah Roberts.
As temperatures soared from July 13–14, Victoria’s Ship Point hosted the annual Festival Mexicano. The two-day celebration showcased lively music, dance, and flavoursome cuisine from Latin America. In the heart of downtown Victoria, with views across the harbour, the venue was packed with stalls selling handmade crafts and enticing food trucks. Attendees gathered under white gazebos, seeking shade from the blazing sun.
After the opening remarks on Saturday, the crowd called “¡Que Viva México!” The festival began with live music from Mariachi Sin Frontera, Vancouver Island’s first Mariachi band. Trumpets sounded alongside the resonant twangs of the guitarón. Dancers from Fiesta Latina Ballet Folklorico of Victoria accompanied the performance, dressed in vibrant Jalisco costumes: the dancers’ skirts formed a kaleidoscopic whirl.
Angelique Venegas, singer and M.C. from Mariachi Sin Frontera, invited the crowd to dance. A few couples began to dance salsa and soon more joyfully joined in. Zumba instructor, Cuban-born Isabel Santos, brought even more people to their feet.
Two Ballet Folklorico dancers, Jennifer Díaz and Lucy Marquez, stopped between performances to flaunt their dresses from Veracruz. In an interview with the Martlet, Díaz explained that Ballet Folklorico performs dances originating in each of Mexico’s states to showcase regional cultures and costumes from Yucatán to Sinaloa.
Marquez said, “My favourite thing about the festival is to see people enjoy our music and our culture and to see the kids. We see them growing up every year and we notice how different they are each year and enjoying our culture. It’s really nice.” Indeed, families of all ages wandered around festival stalls, purchasing art and goods from across Latin America.
Photo by Sarah Roberts.
Miguel Espinosa, president of the Mexican Canadian Community Association of Victoria, is the powerhouse behind the two-day fiesta. The not-for-profit association aims to promote Mexican culture in Victoria and bring families together at the festival.
Eighteen years ago, Espinosa organized the first Festival Mexicano within just two weeks, following a call from a friend in Mexico who wanted to perform in Victoria. Victoria’s beloved Latin Caribbean Music Festival, was canceled after seventeen years due to funding issues, leaving a huge gap in the city’s musical calendar. So, Miguel came up with a whole new festival.
Since the inauguration of Festival Mexicano, the event has been a constant in Victoria’s cultural program, even during the pandemic.
“Being Mexican, we are thinking out of the box,” Espinosa told the Martlet. “For two years, I rented a double-decker. That way, we had the distance. I put the Mariachi band on the top, and the dancers were in the middle, and we rode around the city.”
It was hard to remember those social distancing protocols as, in 2024, participants warmly embraced each other, shared food, and danced.
Espinosa likes to see people leave the event smiling. “This is a family event, a free event. I want to bring some culture from Mexico. I am Mexican, but also we invite people from all [of] Latin America.” The festival had vendors from many countries, including Colombia, Venezuela, and Peru.
The festival would not have been complete without restaurant catering, which included Puerto Vallarta Amigos, Sabor Mix Latino, and Taco Boss. All day, scents of cumin and chili filled the air as they prepared traditional dishes: tortas, tacos, and quesadillas with salsa picante and lashings of sour cream. For adults, a beer garden offered shelter from the blazing sun and a chance to wash down the spice. Espinosa announced to the crowd that next year, they’ll have tequila. Sign me up!
