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Latino Heritage Celebrated With Music Festival Supported By National Monuments

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By NPT Staff - April 27th, 2022

Castillo de San Marcos National Monument and Fort Matanzas National Monument will be partnering with Unidos En La Música: A Latin American Festival/Karen Ceballos

A Latin American music festival celebrating Latino heritage will be held next month in St. Augustine, Florida, in partnership with Castillo de San Marcos National Monument and Fort Matanzas National Monument.

Unidos En La Música: A Latin American Festival will be held May 7. The new partnership will bridge Latino music-goers to the city’s Latino heritage sites dating back more than 400 years. Taking place on from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. at Francis Field located at 25 W Castillo Dr, St. Augustine, the festival’s highly anticipated Músical lineup is set to feature Grammy-award winning Salsa Legends Grupo Niche from Colombia, Baba Caiman, Los Ineditos del Vallenato and Fuisha Funk from Mexico.

“Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas national monuments are proud to join St. Augustine’s largest Latino event that brings tens of thousands of Latino families together for the weekend,” said Gordie Wilson, superintendent of the two monuments. “Through the spirit of music and culture, we join Unidos En La Música to celebrate St. Augustine’s rich Latino heritage and community and the role of Latino heritage sites within our national parks in preserving and telling these stories.”

As the cultural sponsor of the Unidos En La Música music festival, Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas National Monuments will kick off the weekend event with a “Movie Night at the Fort,” featuring a special screening of Disney’s Oscar-winning animation film Encanto. At the music festival on Saturday, the parks will host an exhibit booth with information on St. Augustine’s Spanish heritage, living history volunteers depicting soldiers from the 1700s, Junior Ranger activities for kids of all ages, national park ranger law enforcement and local first responder vehicles, and giveaways.

"The National Park Foundation’s Latino Heritage Fund program is excited to support this wonderful event that celebrates the diversity of Latino culture through national parks," said Adrena Ifill, director of history and culture at the National Park Foundation. “Latino history is a vibrant part of U.S. history, and the Latino Heritage Fund’s mission is to preserve and elevate Latino stories across the National Park System, including sites like Castillo de San Marcos and Fort Matanzas national monuments.”

As St. Augustine’s largest Latino event, Unidos En La Música will feature live music, dance groups, food and games throughout the day. Guests can enjoy special salsa and bachata workshops led by World Champions Emily and Raul, as well as Romi and Alex from Miami. More than 75 authentic market vendors and 14 Latin food trucks will be on-site to showcase the distinctive style and range of Latin American food, crafts and textiles.

“As founders of Unidos En La Música: A Latin American Festival, it is a great honor to connect St. Augustine’s iconic national monuments to our Festival and Heritage,” said Erika Weitz CEO of Latin Community Services 501c3 Nonprofit based in St. Augustine. “When Latino community members think of ‘San Agustin,’ we picture the sights of Castillo and Fort Matanzas and the sounds of Latino music coming from Francis Field in the summertime. This is a partnership committed to the celebration of Latino culture, past, present and future.”

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Comments

Submitted by A. Johnson on April 27, 2022 - 3:32pm.

Not sure why NPS/taxpayer money is going to pay for a PRIVATE music festival?  Sorry, but NONE of this music has anything to do with the historical heritage of these monuments.  I'm pretty sure that no movie was shown when the monuments were active forts either.

 

Does anyone here remember the outcry when a runner's group wanted to use part of the Blueridge Parkway?


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