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Miami's annual Latin American and Caribbean UniDiversity Festival Sept. 17

18th annual community festival kicks off National Hispanic-Latinx Heritage Month

looking out at the crowd on the lawn unidiversity 2016

Performers and attendees at the UniDiversity Festival (2016 image by Scott Kissell).

Enjoy food, music, dancing, traditional games, arts and crafts, children's activities and more at the UniDiversity Festival, celebrating the people and cultures that are quickly emerging as one of the largest ethnic groups in the United States. 

The free festival runs from 5:30-9 p.m. Friday, Sept. 17, at the Uptown Parks in Oxford.

It is part of UniDiversity, a series of events planned at Miami University to highlight National Hispanic and Latino American Heritage Month, Sept. 15-Oct. 15.

"This collaborative community event is a testimony that there is a 'unity in diversity,'" said Jacqueline Rioja Velarde, associate director of Miami's Center for American and World Cultures. "UniDiversity creates a welcoming environment that intertwines the uniqueness of Latin American and Caribbean cultural heritage with the multiple opportunities to build intercultural connections." 

Featured events include:

  • 6:30 p.m. Brazilian music by Duo Rocha Gândara, with Paula Gândara, Miami University professor of Spanish and Portuguese.
  • 7:15 p.m. Peruvian music and Afro-Peruvian dance with Mary Andrade and Criollisima con Sentimiento.
  • 8 p.m.  Latin music by Cincinnati-based Son Del Caribe, widely acknowledged as one of the top salsa bands in Ohio, led by trombonist Jaime Morales-Matos, associate professor of music at Miami.
  • Voter registration booth by the Oxford League of Women Voters.
"We invite everyone to explore, discover, connect, and enjoy the 18th annual UniDiversity Festival community celebration," Rioja Velarde said. 
Get the full program schedule and other updates at the 2021 UniDiversity Festival website.

hispanic heritage monthThe festival is sponsored by the Miami University Global Initiatives’ Center for American and World Cultures with the support and collaboration of many other Miami and Oxford organizations, and in partnership with the city of Oxford; Miami's Office of Institutional Diversity and Inclusion; and the Ohio Commission on Hispanic Latino Affairs.

Learn about more UniDiversity events at the Hispanic and Latinx Heritage Month website.