Hot Time at Ritmo Latino

photos and story by Lindsey Chester

Cary, NC- It’s August and it’s hot, but that didn’t stop the crowds from enjoying the Ritmo Latino Festival this past Sunday in Bond Park.

Tents lined the Kiwanis shelter parking lot, serving foods from many different countries as music drifted across the park from Sertoma Amphitheatre. From Tacos to desserts and everything in between. Stalls also had crafts, artwork and jewelry for sale.

Early in the day entertainment included the Venuzuelan Folkloric Dancers. The line up alternated between musical and dance groups and touched on many traditional types of Latino music.  Latino rock band Tercer Divisa Nacional Band had a modern sound that rocked Bond Park.

To help visitors enjoy the show, festival organizers kindly installed a tarp over the Sertoma Amphitheatre seating so patrons could sit in the shade.

Up in the picnic shelter a second stage was set up. The audience loved the Ballet Folklorica Guadalupano’s energetic Mexican-inspired partner dances in which the men brandished cowboy hats and fringed jackets and the ladies stomped their white boots.

 

All day both stages were busy showcasing performing arts from many area groups. Mickey Mills had wowed the crowds on Friday night at the Page-Walker and his group performed mid day at the festival. The day finished with a  Mariachi band.

This is the seventh year that Diamante, with support from the Town of Cary, has hosted this fun filled cultural festival. It was free for all to attend, and it was great to see people of all different backgrounds coming out in the heat to enjoy the Latin culture that is a big part of the Triangle.