Fiestas Patrias expands scope of Aurora Hispanic Heritage celebration

In some ways, it seems like everything about the festival has changed this year.

For starters, it's called Fiestas Patrias rather than Fiesta de Luces. It's relocated to North River Street Park from the Aurora Transportation Center. And it will last two days instead of one.

Still, the focus of Fiestas Patrias is the same: to celebrate Hispanic heritage, music and food.

"It's all geared around Hispanic traditions or the culture," said Delia Nila Basile, events coordinator for the city of Aurora.

The festival on Saturday and Sunday, Sept. 18 and 19, will celebrate Mexico's bicentennial and the independence days of several Latin American countries with music, a carnival, free kids activities and authentic Hispanic food.

An event called Fiestas de Luces, formerly hosted by the city's Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board, celebrated Hispanic culture in the past, but Fiestas Patrias will expand the scope of the party, said Rene Cruz, president of the Aurora Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

"The consensus among business owners was what a shame it is for the community, with the demographics we have, that if we want to celebrate Hispanic heritage, we have to go out of Aurora," Cruz said. "The heritage board did Fiesta de Luces - but not at the scale or level of Fiestas Patrias."

The event is expanding because the heritage board accepted an offer from the Aurora Hispanic Chamber of Commerce to jointly run the festival, said Diana Torres, chairwoman of the Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board.

"It affords us the opportunity to still bring free events to the community," Torres said. "You don't need money to come."

The heritage board is sponsoring a free kids activity area that will include inflatables, pony rides, a magic show, temporary tattoos, a craft table and a coloring wall run by the Mexican Fine Arts Center Museum in Chicago, Torres said.

The Hispanic Chamber of Commerce contributed to the event by finding sponsors and recruiting local businesses to set up displays at the festival, Cruz said.

Thirteen musical groups will perform over two days and Fiestas Patrias' main sponsor, Comcast, will record everything so local Comcast Cable subscribers can watch it later, Basile said.

The large, family-friendly, musical celebration of Hispanic heritage should fill a void in the Aurora area, Cruz said.

"This is something that is long overdue," Cruz said. "It would be a dream to see the entire community come out and recognize the contributions the Hispanic community makes to the community as a whole and to enjoy some of the culture."

If you goWhat: Fiestas Patrias, Hispanic music and heritage festivalWhen: Noon to 10 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 18, and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 19Where: North River Street Park and the adjacent parking lot at River and Vine streets in downtown AuroraCost: Free admissionDetails: Parade program starts at 11:15 a.m. Sunday in front of the Paramount Theatre, 8 E. Galena Blvd., Aurora Info: (630) 264-2422 or ahcc-il.comTrue20001863Manuel Luna and his son, Brian, 2, enjoy an amusement ride at last year's Fiesta de Luces to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. This year, Aurora's festival has been expanded and renamed Fiestas Patrias.Daily Herald file photoTrue