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2017 Latinx Festival in Athens

Members of the community are invited to the annual Latinx festival in downtown Athens. The event will feature food, dance, music and other offerings from a wide range of Latin communities, including Aztec, Mexican, Peruvian, and others.

Beto Mendoza is one of the coordinators of the fest.

“Every year we try to share the contributions of the migrant community to Athens, Georgia with food, dance, music” Mendoza said. “We try to do the most representative performance we can have.”

Andre Gallant is a volunteer with the festival. He says it’s a comfortable way for residents to enjoy different cultures.

“This festival is kind of like Hot Corner,” gallant said. “It’s one of those day’s events that really make me love the town because it celebrates part of our community that doesn’t get covered in the newspapers in a positive light. That contributes mightily not just to our economy but also the well-being of our city.

He says the event is a true community celebration.

“This is not just a celebration of people from Central and South America, this is a celebration our neighbors. We use the word immigrant as a technicality, but in truth these are our classmates, our coworkers.”

The free festival is Saturday from 1 to 5 pm at Creature Comforts.