Viva Latino 2025: First festival that brings together art, gastronomy and original Oaxacan culture in Calgary
by calgaryhispano.com
Calgary · Published on: 11 June, 2025
This Saturday, July 5, Calgary will be the scene of an unprecedented event: Viva Latino 2025, a festival that will not only bring music, dance, gastronomy and Latin folklore, but will also function as a cultural and commercial bridge between Canada and Latin America.
The event, which will be held from 6:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. at The Confluence - Fort Calgary, is organized by LAUCA (Latinos Unidos en Calgary) and its founder Lorena Hernández Domínguez Allen, who shared with us the vision and details of this great celebration.
More than a festival, Viva Latino seeks to preserve the cultural roots of Oaxaca and create new opportunities for the Latino community in Alberta. "We want Canada to know the Latino community with their faces, their culture and their original craftsmanship. It is not about merchandise, but about art and tradition brought by its own creators," Lorena said.
A night of Guelaguetza, mezcal and Oaxacan traditions
The heart of the festival will be an authentic show of the Guelaguetza, a traditional celebration that brings together the dances, costumes and traditions of the eight regions of Oaxaca. The Traditional Folkloric Ballet of Oaxaca, with 25 dancers dressed in original costumes of up to $7,000 each, will offer six performances during the night, with live music and the explanation of the meaning of each dance.
In addition, plastic artisans, textile growers with waist looms, and mezcal producers will participate - four official marks of designation of origin, ready to export and with business proposals aimed at restauraters in Calgary and Alberta. "We seek to open that channel of connections between Latino and Canadian entrepreneurs, and that those products reach new hands," Lorena emphasized.
In addition, as a sign of respect and twinning between native cultures, a delegation of natives from the Tsuut'ina community, near Calgary, will hold an emotional blessing ceremony at the beginning of the festival. This spiritual act will serve to welcome Oaxacan artists and visitors, who will also offer an indigenous ceremony as part of this unique intercultural meeting.
As an additional attraction, there will be a charro from Zacatecas doing good luck with the rope to the rhythm of mariachi, a spectacle possible thanks to the support of the Zacatecán Association and its president Isela Hinojosa, also owner of the food truck Mi Ranchito Tacobús, in charge of the gastronomy of the festival.
Gastronomy, music and entrepreneurship for the whole family
Viva Latino 2025 differs from other festivals for its family and inclusive approach. The event will have accessible spaces for the elderly, families with children and people with reduced mobility.
In addition to the Guelaguetza and musical shows, there will be stalls of original crafts and sale of typical Mexican food. Every hour, 120 seats will be enabled at tables and capacity for 100 more people around, leaving a free track to dance.
A preview of Viva Latino 2026 and new cultural alliances
One of the most special moments of Viva Latino 2025 will be the official announcement of the plans for the 2026 edition of the festival, which will have El Salvador as a guest country.
In the words of Lorena Hernández Domínguez Allen, organizer of the event, "we want every year a sister country to take center stage and share with Calgary its music, its dance, its gastronomy and its most beloved traditions."
This announcement will be made in the presence of the consuls of Mexico, El Salvador and Colombia, who will take the opportunity to highlight the importance of these meetings in the cultural preservation of Latino communities in Alberta.
A new multicultural tradition in Calgary!
Date: Saturday, July 5, 2025
Hours: From 6:30 pm. to 12:30 pm.
Location: The Confluence – Fort Calgary, 750 9 Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 5E1
Tickets on sale ENTERING HERE.
"We want this festival to become an opportunity to celebrate, do business, preserve traditions and build together a network of Latino entrepreneurs without borders," says Lorena inviting the entire community in Calgary to be part of this incredible cultural event.
So don't think twice and secure your ticket. Calgary will live the most authentic Latin party of the year!
