By Misty Cryer
The third annual Carlsbad September Fiestas event will be on Saturday, September 14, in the Beach Bandshell area from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. It is a family-friendly event open to the entire community. This event celebrates the cultures and customs of the Latino community and features free entertainment, including live music. Various vendors and food trucks will be there as well.
“Our event, we just always like to keep it family-friendly, so what we always try to promote is that this is a community event to give back to our community,” said Maelene Soto, coordinator of the event. “That is why we cover the costs for activities for the kiddos like the jumper, the foam—we’ll have little events throughout the day. The event itself is meant to celebrate the Latino community that we have here in Carlsbad—that we have seen grow throughout the years—just to come together as a community.”
A parade will kick off the event starting at 10 a.m. The lineup for the parade will begin at 9 a.m. at the Carlsbad Prep Academy on the corner of Church and Walter Streets, with the route going to the beach area. Soto said show-ups will be welcome, but preregistration is preferred. To register for the parade, send a message through the Facebook page for Carlsbad September Fiestas or email Maelene_soto28@hotmail.com.
Parade participants include a band, Folklorico dancers, pageant contestants, and floats, to name a few. “There was a group last year that do off-roading cars. We’re trying to reach out to them again this year,” said Soto.
Other than a fun, celebratory event, Carlsbad September Fiestas can be educational during the opening ceremonies at the Bandshell. “In the past couple of years, we’ve had Henry Castaneda, who gets dressed up in what is known as a more traditional get-up; it is called vestido de charro. We are waiting to find out if Henry is going to be able to make it this year, but essentially, what we do in opening ceremonies, we give a little background and history of the celebration. In Mexico, it is what is known as El Grito, which is the eve of independence,” said Soto.
“We’ve got a good amount of food vendors this year, different types of craft vendors,” said Soto. “We are going to have some Folklorico dancers coming in from El Paso this year. We will be having mariachis come in also, the same ones that we had last year that came in from El Paso. We did finally get enough girls to sign up for the pageant. We’ll end the night with some live music. The mariachis are Leyenda Azteca,” said Soto. The dancers are from Kahlo Folklorico Dance Studio, she said.
Three girls are participating in the pageant and raising funds for nonprofits, Soto said. In reference to last year’s pageant participants, she said, “They raised a little over $6,000 that went back to three nonprofits.”
Last year’s contestants included Alison Ackland, Sophia Dodd, and Aracely Salgado. Aracely Salgado was crowned the 2023 REINA (Queen) and will pass her crown to this year’s winner. The girls chose to donate to Faith, Hope, & Love Foundation, Carlsbad LifeHouse Inc., and Affirming Heart Victim Services, said Soto.
She said the big sponsors of the event are Soloris Water, Chevron, Bobcat, Simco, P&R Enterprises, and Valley Field Services. “I like to give a little shoutout to those within the community who help to put on the event. We had a local here in town that helped to build the sashes. We had donations from LaTienda. United Way is going to be there. We also have people within the community that help as much as they can, too,” said Soto. “As much fun as it is planning and being coordinator, I absolutely could not do this without the help of my amazing committee that has been with me since day one,” she said.
“We’re excited to do it again. Thankfully, we keep growing each year, and we’re happy to give back, and we’re excited to have another good year,” said Soto.
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