Newton’s 1st annual Latin American Fiesta, Saturday March 23, at the Newton Cultural Center will bring together the sights smells, music, rhythms, foods, dances, games and arts & crafts of many of the 23 countries comprising Latin America.

3-5pm — children’s activities
5:30-9pm — dinner, music, dancing for the whole family

The gala Fiesta begins with primarily kids’ activities from 3pm – 5pm. The children will create beautiful crafts indigenous to different Latin American countries, such as bark painting from Mexico and molas from Panama. They will make musical ‘instruments’ and join in a ‘batukada’ (parade) through the Cultural Center.

The fun for the kids ends with a pinata, but begins for the whole family with music, dancing and delicious Latin American food from 5:30pm – 9pm. Bring your dancing shoes and join in the rhythms of salsa, merengue and bolero music of Brazil, Cape Verde, Venezuela and Columbia.

Artists featured are: Rosalba Dancers, Cruzamente with Tal Shaolm-Kobi, Entre Amigos and the Mauro Tortolero Band. There is beautiful jewelry for sale, created from the Tagua nuts from Colombia by Maria Olga Mizrahi’s Baloka Jewelry, and handmade leather goods by Alvaro Lucena.

Admission is free, but please bring a non-perishable food item for the Newton Food Pantries. The Latin American Fiesta is co-sponsored by the Mayor’s Office for Cultural Affairs and Newton Community Pride and its sponsors. More info is online.