Hola amigos! It’s time to celebrate!

The fourth annual community festival, Celebrando Latino America it set to place at Mark's Park on Sunday 3 October. In honour of Latino Heritage Month, visitors can look forward to an authentic Latin fiesta, from a gigantic colourful piñata filled with all sorts of wonderful things, to an array of cultural dances and endless traditional foods.

Sample Peruvian Alfajores, a luscious delicacy made with whole milk and sandwiched between two crumbly cookies and dusted with sugar snow. Both meat and vegetarian paella is available, and visitors can watch it being cooked on the paellera – a traditional round shallow pan. For all those braai aficionados, best you prepare yourselves for the ultimate in meat cooking. Argentinians have mastered the art of cooking over coals, and they take it to a dynamic new level. Asado is a traditional Argentinean barbecue and involves controlling the distance of hot coals under the meat, imparting a tantalizing smoky aroma. It is slow grilled, taking up to two hours to cook, preserving the meat's juices. Joburg's own asador – a man skilled in preparing asado – Miguel Peña, will be at the festival dishing out his signature asado, seasoned with fresh lemon and salt, accompanied by a zingy traditional sauce

“Events such as these are necessary to celebrate our culture, especially for those of us living so far from our homelands”, says event organiser César Alvarado. ''Cultural celebrations are a wonderful way to share our heritage with our South Africa friends, whilst teaching Latino children about their roots”. Alvarado encourages people of all walks of life to come and celebrate with the Latino community. There will be an array of children's activities, and food options include Halal and vegetarian.

Celebrando Latino America takes place at the Argentinean Association at Marks Park on 3 November from 12 noon to 5pm. Tickets are R50 and there is no charge for children under ten.

Details: 072 650 1442