Summer in Calgary is full of free cultural festivals, one of which is the Fiestaval Latin Festival! Held in Olympic Plaza all day Friday to Sunday (July 21-23 this year), it’s a long weekend of music, dance, and food.
I attended on Friday evening and was greeted by a lively crowd and tons of booths and food trucks. Initially, the amount of people and volume of music was overwhelming and I was worried that this event wasn’t for me, but I found that I soon got used to it and enjoyed the atmosphere.
Soon after we arrived, my friends and I split up to get some food. I went to the Fiesta Market & Restaurant booth and got one chicharron taco, one pastor taco, and a pork tamale which all came out to $18.42 after tax and tip. Festival food prices are higher in general than regular restaurant prices, so expect to try something new and not get huge portions (it’s still way cheaper than travelling!).
Yummy! The tacos were both delicious and I chose the tomatillo sauce as a topping (the other options were habanero or jalapeño, I decided not to test my spice tolerance which had failed me many times before). The chicharron and al pastor pork were both very nicely cooked and seasoned; I also appreciated the thoughtfulness of the extra tortillas for whatever fell out. I would rate the tacos SUPER miam miam (of course I wish they were bigger… but I almost always do :P)!
The tamale was good but the pork felt a bit dry and I wished there was more to the filling (I haven’t had others so I don’t have much to compare it too). I would rate it pretty miam.
In the middle of eating, rain began pouring down on us and everybody ran for cover. My friends and I took refuge under a tree and quickly migrated to the Arts Commons under my umbrella. From there, we finished our food and had a quick side trip through the plus 15…
After the rain stopped, we returned and watched a fun dance showcase of different styles including samba, salsa, and baile folklórico.
Finally, we enjoyed an amazing rock show by local Latin band Elemento where they covered famous songs such as Como la Flor. I was definitely surprised by how good they were, especially the guitar solos.
Overall, I really enjoyed the 3 hours I spent at Fiestaval, especially with friends. It’s also a great way to immerse yourself in a culture to learn more about it, so don’t be intimidated by “not knowing enough”. See you next time!
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