This Idaho festival hasn’t taken place since before the pandemic. It’s back Saturday

The last time the Idaho Latino Fest took place was in 2019, before the COVID-19 pandemic threw society for a loop.

But now seems to be the right time to bring it back, said Ivan Melendez, executive director of the Idaho Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, which is putting on the event.

“The Hispanic population here in Idaho is growing,” Melendez told the Statesman in a phone interview. “We figure it’s time to put Latino Fest back on so people can enjoy themselves and celebrate their culture.”

The event Saturday is free and open to everyone. Anyone who stops by Cecil D. Andrus Park from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. can enjoy music — performers include A.B. Quintanilla, brother of late renowned artist Selena — food from various countries and a cultural space with information on the various Hispanic nations.

“Even though we all speak Spanish and we all are together here in the United States, we are very individual when it comes to culture, right?” Melendez said. For example, he said, Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic are next to each other in the Caribbean but speak Spanish differently and have distinct cultures.

Melendez, who is Puerto Rican, said the goal is to celebrate Hispanic culture and make people feel welcome in the Gem State.

“No matter how far we are from our motherland, we’re still here. We support each other, and we’re here to make this state also amazing,” Melendez said. “So we can have a little taste of home here.”