The Greater St. Louis Hispanic Festival kicked off for the 30th year in Soulard Park on Friday with a dash of colorful papel picado and fast-paced dance lessons in sweltering heat that had festivalgoers clamoring for fresh aguas frescas.
The festival had humble beginnings and ran only on $500 its first year, according to Elisa Bender, the executive director of the Hispanic Festival Inc., the organization that runs the event and Fiesta in Florissant. Now, the festival has grown to a three-day extravaganza filled with live music, performances and food from across the Latin American diaspora.
“It’s important to celebrate our culture,” said Bender. “It’s important to educate [others] about our culture and even the next generation coming up.”…