GREEN BAY, Wis. (WFRV) – The UW-Green Bay campus was filled with the sights, sounds and flavors of Latino culture on Saturday as the third annual Estamos Aquí Festival Hispano brought the community together for a day of celebration.
The free, family-friendly event featured live music, a car show, local food vendors and a marketplace showcasing Latino-owned businesses from across the area.
Green Bay first responders train in vacant building ahead of St. Mary’s Hospital expansion
“Today we are celebrating the rich culture of the Latino community,” said festival committee member Maria Padilla. “We have food, music and art [with] a family area that is free and open to everybody.”
The festival has quickly grown since its inception in 2023, bringing in thousands of attendees and offering a platform for the area’s Latino entrepreneurs and artists.
“I think a lot of people are shocked by the fact that there is a large Latino community in Green Bay,” said Padilla. “We have a big community here that is thriving, opening businesses, and living here.”
Organizers say the goal is to celebrate heritage while also fostering connections across the region.
First-year apprentices celebrated in Kaukauna ‘signing day’ to kickstart career in pipe trades
“When we began this three years ago, we didn’t really anticipate it would grow into the festival it would become,” said Kelli Strickland, Executive Artistic Director at The Weidner. “It’s really important that everyone in our community feels like they have an opportunity to share the arts, the culture, the traditions and the foods.”
This year’s festival ran from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., with organizers promising to keep building on the momentum to showcase even more Latino talent and culture in the years ahead.
