Featuring music, food, flags, and much more, the fifth Annual Latino Fest took place on June 1 on the PHS front lawn. Organized by the Latinos Unidos club, the festival aimed to highlight Latino culture as well as to engage the community, showcasing stands from local organizations as well as a free clothing stand. In order to provide these stations, preparation for the event was a year-long process.
“Throughout the school year, we [promoted] a clothing drive, so we had a lot of people bring in clothing [to give] back to the community back for free,” said Aimy Solares-Zacarias ’26, a leader of Latinos Unidos and major organizer of the festival. “We had to get in touch with a lot of organizations, like the firefighters and the municipality, along with Mercer County.”
The festival also included various cultural food stands, served entirely for free for all attendees. Volunteers served tacos with Latino preparations of pork, beef, and chicken, as well as providing drinks. Getting all the volunteers present for the event was also an involved process.
“We invited a lot of alums. The presidents last year came in to support bringing food and Princeton Regional Education Association (PREA) sponsored the food,” said Solares-Zacarias. “We also field-tripped students to help us prepare.”
The cuisine and clothing attracted Princeton community members who otherwise may not have come to the fest.
“[I was drawn in by] the music and the colors,” said Sonya Keaney ’28. “[Latino Fest] is making culture so enjoyable for everyone ... and [easier] to share. It’s a great event.”