For Aurora resident Richard Gomez, the annual Fiestas Patrias event in the city, which celebrates Mexico’s independence, is a festival not to be missed.
“The Mexican community is very strong here in Aurora and it’s nice to not forget where we came from,” Gomez said late Saturday afternoon at the two-day festival held over the weekend at RiverEdge Park. “We get to eat our food and listen to our music … it brings us back to our roots and it’s really nice to see that here.”
The 13th annual Fiestas Patrias was staged by the city of Aurora, in partnership with the city’s Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board.
A celebration of Mexican Independence Day, the event also serves as a local fundraiser raising thousands of dollars in scholarship funds annually for Hispanic college-bound Aurora residents.
Tony Martinez, chief communications, marketing and events officer for the city of Aurora, said the event is one that “celebrates a culture as well as one that supports our local youth.”
“All of the net profits go to the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley for scholarships for college-bound students of Hispanic descent that live in Aurora,” he said. “It’s a great cultural celebration for Mexico and this also goes back toward our kids and their future.”
Martinez said highlights of the fest included live music, local food vendors, the popular Parade of Nations and more.
“The parade highlights all the Spanish-speaking countries, so we’ll have students from local elementary schools and middle schools representing each country and going around and marching with flags and giving a brief description of the country they are representing in the parade on Sunday,” he said. “That’s always of highlight of our fest.”
Organizers said the event normally draws about 5,000 people a day.
Martinez said like many events in Aurora, the festival is a multicultural one.
“We always see a pretty diverse crowd, not only in the crowd but also in the organizations that sponsor the event,” he said. “It is a cultural celebration for Mexican independence but it’s really an opportunity for folks who aren’t of Mexican descent – I’m not of Mexican descent, I’m Puerto Rican myself, and I love the event. It’s just a time to celebrate the music and the food and the wonderful vibe of the weekend.”
Lizet Zunita, a board member of the Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board, said the event is always a special one.
“It always is when people show up and dance and have fun,” she said. “This celebration kicks off Hispanic Heritage Month for us so it’s super-important for us to be proud of our culture here, especially because we have a very large Hispanic community here. It’s a way for us to express our culture.”
Richard Gomez’s mother Maria Gomez said she enjoys the music at the festival.
“This makes me proud that people show up for the Fiestas Patrias and don’t forget where they came from originally,” she said at the fest on Saturday.
Daisy Resendiz of the Ballet Folklorico Quetzalcoatl group, which performed at the festival, said over the years she has enjoyed “just coming together and celebrating this big day that’s so special for us.”
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“All of Aurora comes and it’s something that we love, that all cultures really love celebrating with our Mexican culture,” she said.
David Sharos is a freelance reporter for The Beacon-News.