Latin American Heritage Month runs Oct. 14 to Nov. 2, starting with a 5:30 p.m. opening night gala at Performance Works on Granville Island.
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Latin American Heritage Month Festival events across Vancouver and Burnaby run from Oct. 14 to Nov. 2.
The festival opens with an opening night cocktail gala at 5:30 p.m. at Performance Works on Granville Island, featuring music, dance, food and cultural storytelling. The night includes live Brazilian music by Juno-nominated artist Celso Machado and an all-vinyl DJ set by Mr. Pablo.
Workshops and cultural sharing continue on Oct. 15 with a session at the Latin Plaza Hub, where seniors are invited to take part in story circles and share life stories, childhood memories and migration experiences. The session is designed to preserve cultural heritage and encourage connection and belonging.
A Spanish book fair is scheduled 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 hosts a cross-cultural roundtable titled Indigenous Traditions in Action: Sharing and Preserving Knowledge, presented online and in person at the Latin Hub. The discussion is intended to bridge Canadian and Latin American Indigenous perspectives, highlighting shared values including connection to land, collective care, respect for elders and the importance of intergenerational knowledge.
Day of the Dead, or Día de los Muertos, events take place from 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. across Granville Island on Halloween, with interactive activations, workshops, Catrina lanterns and other traditional arts.
The two-week celebration concludes with the Día de Meurtos finale in Gastown on Nov. 2, with a 5 to 6 p.m. hour-long walk. Attendees are encouraged to dress as a Catrina or Catrín, and organizers ask participants to treat Día de Muertos as a practice of remembrance rather than a Halloween costume, including a request to avoid gore, horror or zombie makeup.
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