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Colorful culture on display at 23rd annual event

Over 20,000 fans of music and culture gathered at Symphony Park on Sunday, October 13 for one of Charlotte’s largest cultural events, the 23rd Annual Latin American Festival.

The festival featured internationally renowned musical acts Julieta Venegas and NoTeVaGustar, savory cuisine, an authentic marketplace, dance presentations, and delightful children’s activities.

For the first time ever in Charlotte, megastar Mexican singer-songwriter Venegas headlined this year’s festival.  With six albums released to date and over 9 million copies sold worldwide, her list of accolades includes a Grammy for Best Latin Pop Album and five Latin Grammy Awards.  Moments, her new album released in March of this year, is sure to dominate the charts once again, securing her reign over the Latin American music scene.

Uruguayan rock sensation NoTeVaGustar’s performance sent the crowd in a frenzy.  NTVG started their tour of the Americas in March to promote their new studio album, El Calor del Pleno Invierno, and is considered the most important rock group of the moment in South America.

Ana María Polo, famed host of the Telemundo show “Caso Cerrado” also made an appearance and met with fans throughout the day.

Overall, the festival offered a visual explosion of brilliantly colored costumes and time-honored cultural traditions with performances from across Latin America and Spain, easily delighting everyone who attended.

The Latin American Festival is presented each year by the Latin American Coalition. The 24th edition of the festival is set for Sunday, October 12, 2014 at Symphony Park.  For more information, visit the event website.