In celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Latino Arts Festival in Park City, we take a look back at its origins and the milestones that have shaped the festival into the popular event it has become today, with more than 10,000 people expected to attend this weekend.

Launched in 2016, the Latino Arts Festival was a grassroots effort led by Max Ventura and the Christian Center of Park City. The original idea was to create a way to celebrate Park City’s Latin American community and provide a safe and welcoming space for cultural connection.

The festival was fairly small the first year and was held at the Christian Center. The community’s response to the festival was so positive that it moved to the Park City Library from 2017-19 to accommodate a larger crowd and provide more live performances, artists, community resources and a film screening.

Jessica Jarvis Bryant, deputy director of grants and marketing at the Christian Center of Park City, recalled the early days of the festival and its immediate effect on the community.

“As an organization, we supported Max’s vision to create an event that highlighted the colorful culture of his Latino heritage, she said.”

“Our goal from the beginning was to amplify the voices of Latino artists, performers, chefs and culture makers,” she said. “We wanted to hear the stories of the Latin American and Hispanic experience and to share the beauty of these cultures. Watching multitudes of people come together around this event throughout the years has been truly incredible.”

In 2019, the Arts Council of Park City & Summit County partnered with the Christian Center to bolster the event and expand its outreach and number of visual artists and performances.

From 2020 through 2022 during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Latino Arts Festival shifted to a satellite format throughout the community. It showcased a variety of pop-up artist installations, dance performances, and musicians around Park City, keeping the cultural community connection alive.

Then in 2023, leadership of the Latino Arts Festival was transferred to the Arts Council and the festival found a home at Canyons Village at Park City Mountain, where it continues to be celebrated each year.

The Arts Council has evolved the festival into a multi-day event featuring more than 50 visual artists, folklore performances, educational workshops, traditional cuisine and Grammy-nominated musicians. The organization has even added an El Mercadito (a traditional Latin market).

The festival has represented myriad countries and has brought joy and vibrancy to Park City each year. Best of all, this vibrant, family-friendly event has always been free and accessible to everyone.

“This year marks a major milestone for the Latino Arts Festival in Park City,” said Andrea Zavala, Latino Arts Festival director. “We’re so grateful for the vision Max and the Christian Center had a decade ago and we are proud to continue in that tradition. There is so much value in bringing people of various backgrounds together to appreciate and learn from one another. The festival provides opportunities for education and dialogue surrounding Latino culture, issues, and achievements. With more artists and performers than ever before, we anticipate our 10th celebration to be one we will never forget.”

The Latino Arts Festival celebrates 10 years on Friday through Sunday at Canyons Village.

Claire Wiley is with the Arts Council of Park City & Summit County.

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