The Geneva Latino Festival will celebrate its 15th anniversary this weekend, bringing music, food, and cultural performances to the city.
The festival began in 2011 as a cultural celebration and has grown into an annual gathering for Geneva's Latino community.
Rafael Elías Diaz Diaz, one of the festival organizers, started the event when the Latino community in the area was small but growing.
In 2010, the year before the festival started, 1,600 Latinos resided in Geneva.
Today, 2,200 Latino residents call Geneva home, making up 15% of the city's total population, according to U.S. Census Bureau data. The community includes people from Puerto Rico and other Latin American counties.
This weekend’s festival is expected to draw more than 1,000 people to the area. The event draws people from across the region, Diaz Diaz said, calling it a close-knit community feel.
"I'll tell you, the community is actually quite close-knit,” he said, speaking in Spanish. “When there are activities, people gather, they come, they share, and the festival turns out great."
The Geneva Latino Festival opens at 3 p.m. Friday and runs until 10 p.m. at a new lakeside location between the Front Lake Hotel and the Welcome Center. Festivities continue starting at noon on Saturday.
