Mobile Latin Fest Reset for Sunday at Mardi Gras Park After Isaias Delay

MOBILE, Ala. — After a delay caused by Hurricane Isaias, Mobile Latin Fest is back on the calendar. The free festival celebrating Hispanic culture will take place Sunday, Oct. 18, from noon to 7 p.m. at Mardi Gras Park in downtown Mobile.

The festival had originally been scheduled for Saturday, Oct. 10, but organizers moved it as the storm approached the Gulf Coast. Sunday’s rescheduled event will feature live music, dance, vendors and food trucks, and it doubles as a fundraiser for scholarships that help local Hispanic students continue their education.

Music, Dance and Food

Mobile Latin Fest is designed as a family-friendly celebration of the music, food and traditions of Hispanic and Latin American cultures. Visitors can expect:

• Live music
• Dance performances celebrating Hispanic culture
• Vendors
• Food trucks

Food is consistently one of the biggest draws. At last year’s festival, attendees lined up for dishes from across Latin America, including Puerto Rican mofongo and empanadas, and many came dressed in traditional clothing. Organizers have said the goal is to showcase the community’s dance and culture for the wider public.

Admission is free, making the festival an easy outing for families looking to spend a Sunday afternoon downtown.

Rescheduled After Hurricane Isaias

Mobile Latin Fest was one of many events across Mobile and Baldwin counties shaken up by Hurricane Isaias earlier this month. As the storm neared, organizers across the region canceled or postponed fall events. The National Shrimp Festival in Gulf Shores was canceled, the Dauphin Street Beer Festival in downtown Mobile was called off, and other events, including Latin Fest, were moved to later dates.

The new Sunday date gives the festival a chance to go forward a week later than planned, as communities across the area continue to recover and return to regular routines.

Raising Money for Scholarships

Mobile Latin Fest is organized by the Hispanic American Business Association of the Gulf Coast, a nonprofit professional organization. The festival serves as a fundraiser for the association’s scholarship program, which provides scholarships to local Hispanic students.

The association has awarded college, secondary and technical education scholarships to students with Hispanic roots in Mobile and Baldwin counties for more than a decade. In 2023, for example, it honored six scholarship recipients at a ceremony held at Coastal Alabama Community College’s Aviation College campus at the Brookley Aeroplex. Most of that year’s recipients were headed to the University of South Alabama to study fields including dentistry, health sciences, biology and engineering, while another was studying aviation mechanics.

Beyond scholarships, the association works on business, educational and networking programs, and it has focused on workforce and economic development, including support for food entrepreneurs. Its work touches on the region’s diversity, quality of life and economic growth.

Silvia Skultety, the association’s president, said when announcing last year’s festival that the group was “thrilled to bring Mobile Latin Fest back to our community.”

Closing Out Hispanic Heritage Month

The festival traditionally falls during or near National Hispanic Heritage Month, observed each year from Sept. 15 to Oct. 15. The observance recognizes the histories, cultures and contributions of Americans whose ancestors came from Spain, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Central and South America. The Sept. 15 start date coincides with the independence anniversaries of several Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua.

Though the rescheduled date falls just after the formal observance ends, the festival still serves as one of the Gulf Coast’s largest public celebrations of Hispanic heritage this fall.

Downtown Setting

Mardi Gras Park, the downtown park that celebrates Mobile’s Carnival heritage, has become a popular venue for outdoor festivals and concerts. Its central location puts festivalgoers close to the restaurants and shops along Dauphin Street and nearby downtown attractions, and public parking is available in the area.

Mobile’s own history includes Spanish rule in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, and the city’s Hispanic community today includes families with roots throughout Latin America. A festival in the heart of downtown highlights that community’s place in the life of the city.

If You Go

• What: Mobile Latin Fest
• When: Sunday, Oct. 18, noon to 7 p.m. (rescheduled from Oct. 10)
• Where: Mardi Gras Park, downtown Mobile
• Admission: Free
• Highlights: Live music, dance, vendors and food trucks
• Benefits: Scholarships for local Hispanic students through the Hispanic American Business Association of the Gulf Coast