Hundreds of people gathered in Veterans Park in Manchester over the weekend to celebrate the city’s first-ever Latino Vibe Festival. Attendees lined up to enjoy food from across Latin America, including tacos, empanadas, pasteles, piña coladas and pinchos.
Alex Medina and Ty Ross work at Bravo restaurant in downtown Manchester. They decided to serve a mix of cultures, including a Nuyorican staple – the classic hot dog.
“As soon as we found out that they were doing the festival, I quickly jumped on,” Medina said. “I was like, ‘Hey, I want to participate. I want to be part of that.’ It's my culture also, so it’s something that I'm proud to bring into the restaurant and to show off what we can do.”
For others, like Manchester high school student Mariana Hernández, the festival was a chance to celebrate her heritage.
“I'm so happy to see everyone come together as a family. It really brings me so much joy,” she said. “To see everyone here come together, it makes me feel like everything's becoming better.”
After a full day of food, music, dancing and community, organizers say they hope to repeat the event next year.
