The Latin American Heritage Month Festival runs from Oct. 14 to Nov. 2 with programming including an opening gala on Granville Island and a Día de los Muertos walk in Gastown.
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The Latin American Heritage Month Festival will run from Oct. 14 to Nov. 2, with events scheduled across Vancouver and Burnaby.
Programming begins with an opening night cocktail gala at 5:30 p.m. at Performance Works on Granville Island, celebrating the diversity of Latin America through music, dance, food, and cultural storytelling. The event includes live Brazilian music by Juno-nominated artist Celso Machado and an all-vinyl DJ set by Mr. Pablo.
On Oct. 15, the festival shifts to knowledge-sharing with a workshop at the Latin Plaza Hub, where seniors are invited to join story circles to share life stories, childhood memories, and migration experiences. The session is described as intended to preserve cultural heritage and encourage connection and belonging.
A Spanish book fair is set for Oct. 18 at Ocean Art Works, followed by a traditional costumes exhibition from Guatemala on Oct. 19 at the Consulate General of Guatemala in Vancouver.
On Oct. 22, the festival features a cross-cultural roundtable called Indigenous Traditions in Action: Sharing and Preserving Knowledge. The discussion will take place both online and in person at the Latin Hub, aiming to bridge gaps between Canadian and Latin American Indigenous perspectives by highlighting shared values including connection to land, collective care, respect for elders, and the importance of intergenerational knowledge.
Halloween programming on Granville Island runs from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Oct. 31, with interactive activations, workshops, Catrina lanterns, and other traditional arts for Día de los Muertos, or Día de los Muertos, activities.
The festival concludes with a Día de los Muertos finale in Gastown on Nov. 2. The hour-long walk runs from 5 to 6 p.m., and attendees are encouraged to dress as a Catrina or Catrín, with organizers asking participants to treat Día de Muertos as a practice of remembrance rather than a Halloween costume, including no gore, horror, or zombie makeup.
A full rundown of events and times is available online.
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