Philadelphia's Hispanic Heritage Month

Festivals, Food & Fun:

• Did someone say fiesta? Look no further than the annual Feria del Barrio, one of Philadelphia’s largest celebrations of Latino art and culture. The free music, dance and art extravaganza hits the sidewalks of the historic Centro de Oro neighborhood—the center of Latino culture in Philadelphia. September 11. N.5^th Street between Lehigh Avenue & Cambria Street, (215) 426-3311, tallerpr.org
• It’s all Mexico, all day during Penn’s Landing’s annual Mexican Independence Day Festival. The free family-friendly affair includes food, music, dancing, crafts and performances by Los Creadorez, Lamento Show, Grupo Cariño and Banda Retoño, Aztec and other indigenous dancers and traditional foods and crafts. September 18. Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing, Columbus Boulevard at Walnut Street, (215) 592-0410, mexicanculturalcenter.org
• Part pub crawl, part first-person memoir event, the Welcoming Week Bar and Food Crawl will take participants to local restaurants and bars, including East Lehigh Avenue’s Salsa, South Philly’s Los Gallos and Washington Square West’s Mixto, where local business owners will share stories about their stories, from migration to entrepreneurial success. September 23. phila.gov/welcomingweek2016
• Floats, festive dances, local celebs, youth groups and more than 1,500 musicians spice up the action on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway in the Puerto Rican Day Parade. The annualprocession is the city’s largest and oldest outdoor event celebrating Latino and Puerto Rican heritage. September 25. Benjamin Franklin Parkway, (215) 627-3100. elconcilio.net
• Get ready to dance, dance, dance at Brazilian Day Philadelphia, the city’s celebration of Brazil’s independence. Traditional foods and merchandise will be abundant, and performers of samba, forró, pagode, capoeira, samba-reggae and more will get bodies moving. September 25. Great Plaza at Penn’s Landing, Columbus Boulevard at Walnut Street, (215) 922-2386, braziliandayphiladelphia.com

Ceremonial Events

• Glitter, glamour and a celebration of the accomplishments of community leaders, social activists and trendsetters come together during the Puerto Rican Festival Awards Gala. The theme El Poder de Nuestras Voces (The Power of Our Voices) is reflected in the Citizen of the Year, Lifetime Achievement, Latino Youth and Community Service awards that are the highlight of the evening’s festivities. September 17. Sheraton Philadelphia Society Hill Hotel, 1 Dock Street, (215) 627-3100, elconcilio.net
• The Puerto Rican flag will wave proudly during a flag-raising ceremony that includes remarks by local civic and community leaders, including representatives of the Office of Immigrant Affairs. September 19. City Hall, Broad & Market Streets, phila.gov/welcomingweek2016
• Not officially Hispanic yet proudly Latino, Brazilians will turn their eyes to their nation’s green, gold and blue flag as it is raised outside City Hall during a ceremony that features representatives from government and civic institutions. September 20. City Hall, Broad & Market Streets, phila.gov/welcomingweek2016

Coming Soon

• In what will be its only U.S. showing, Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism, 1910-1950 will include more than 200 pieces from Mexico City’s Museo del Palacio de Bellas Artes and Philadelphia Museum of Art’s own collection—the most comprehensive exhibition of Mexican modernism in North America in more than 70 years. Works by Diego Rivera, José Clemente Orozco, David Alfaro Siqueiros, Frida Kahlo, María Izquierdo, Roberto Montenegro, Carlos Mérida, Manuel Álvarez Bravo and many others offer insights into the social forces that reshaped an independent Mexico. October 25, 2016-January 8, 2017. 2600 Benjamin Franklin Parkway, (215) 763-8100, philamuseum.org
• After a decade of planning, the El Corazon Cultural Center will open as the largest Puerto Rican and Latino-based arts and cultural center in Pennsylvania. The highly anticipated extension of El Centro De Oro’s Taller Puertorriqueño will span 25,000 square feet. With a multipurpose, 200-seat theater, exhibition and gallery spaces, educational facilities, an enclosed playground, a gift shop and cafe, El Corazon promises to highlight and to nurture the talents and aspirations of the community. November (date TBA), 5^th Street & Huntingdon Avenue, (215) 426-3311, tallerpr.org 
  

Philadelphia's Latino Chefs & restaurateurs -  Philly's national reputation as a thriving, open-to-all city extends to its flourishing culinary scene, which features a multitude of executive chefs of Latin descent. From nationally renowned luminaries with multiple successful restaurants (Jose Garces, Guillermo Pernot) to upstarts making a solid name for themselves here (Jezabel Careaga, Adan Trinidad, Cristina Martinez), these talented chefs come from all over Latin America, the Caribbean and South America, bringing a highly diverse set of flavors and traditions to the communal table

7 Facts About Philadelphia's Latino Community - Philly honors Hispanic Culture thought the year with food, fun and fiestas. Revelers can catch the Latino spirit at the Mexican Independence Day Festival on Penn’s Landing and the Puerto Rican Day Parade on the Benjamin Franklin Parkway.Thought the year, arts and culture lovers have more to look forward to: the such as last years opening of the El Corazon Cultural Center in El Centro de Oro and the North American debut of the exhibition Paint the Revolution: Mexican Modernism, 1910-1950 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

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