Santa Ana celebrated its second annual Chicano Heritage Festival Aug. 27 in honor of its Hispanic-American community with food, music, games, and other festivities.
Hundreds flooded El Salvador Park, where the festival was held, to see local hispanic artists sell their crafts, and to enjoy carnival games and live music performances, despite temperatures hitting the mid-90s.
“Honestly, I knew the food was gonna be bomb, like it’s hot but worth it,” Anaheim resident José Enriquez told The Epoch Times. “That’s why Latino [culture] is the best. We got agua fresca [fresh juice], margaritas. We got all that. I’ll be coming back next year for sure.”
Families and visitors of all ages flooded the festival grounds seeking authentic food and experiences, many wearing traditional garb including vibrantly embroidered dresses, traditional hats and sombreros, shawls, and more.
The festivities were in honor of the city’s designation of August as Hispanic Heritage Month, in recognition of its vibrant and populous Latin community including those from Mexico, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, and others. City officials said the festival honors the contributions by its Hispanic community including their music, artwork, food, and other cultural contributions.
Hundreds flooded El Salvador Park for the second annual Chicano Heritage Festival in Santa Ana, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2023. (Carol Cassis/The Epoch Times)
The city also honored notable Hispanic authors on its website as part of the month-long heritage festivities including Isabel Cañas, author of “The Hacienda,” a novel about the overthrow of the Mexican government in which a young woman loses her father in the political upheaval of the time.
It also declared August as Chicano Heritage Month on Aug. 1.
Besides evening live performances featuring the sounds of Rock and R&B by Latino artists, vendors nearby seared tacos on the grill with pico de gallo salsa, which were available along with large meaty burritos, nachos con queso and hot sauce, crispy churros doused in toppings including caramel, chocolate and ice cream, and many others.
Hundreds flooded El Salvador Park for the second annual Chicano Heritage Festival in Santa Ana, Calif., on Aug. 27, 2023. (Carol Cassis/The Epoch Times)
Longer lines included those waiting for elote, a popular Mexican street food featuring grilled corn on the cob doused in butter, mayonnaise, cotija cheese, chili powder, and other toppings served fresh on a stick.
“It’s funny seeing elote starting to get big in the States lately. Our community has been serving it in Mexico for forever,” festival attendee Mari Estes said. “But I’m down to wait in line here and buy some. I try to always support Latino vendors and small businesses any chance I get.”
The event also featured a car cruise, in which dozens of classic and vintage cars made their way down the festival’s parade processional as car enthusiasts stood eagerly by snapping photos.
