CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Hola Charlotte is known as one of the largest Latino festivals Charlotte has to offer and continues to grow each year. Event organizers welcomed thousands of people to take over the center of the Queen City.
This year marks the 11th straight year for the festival. Denise Collins is an event organizer and was part of the event from the beginning.
“This is the opportunity for us to really realize that there is growth in the community and there is diversity even within the Hispanic community. So it's not just one culture. So Hola Charlotte represents all the Hispanic cultures here,” Collins said.
Hola Charlotte brings tons of Latino culture through its food, music and fun. But more importantly, the event aims to educate the public about Latino diversity within the Charlotte community.
Recent data show that Charlotte has over 127,000 Hispanic residents, which represents 15% of the city’s population.
Jessica Bilgrad attended the event for the first time. She was excited to take part in the festivities.
“As someone who is always asked if I'm Latina, it seems as though like, there's a great representation here, like many countries, many cultures," Bilgrad told WCNC Charlotte.
Collins is hopeful to see the impact of the event continue to grow. “I'm hoping that it continues to grow. I'm excited that Hispanic businesses are represented here as well, that we can see the growth in the business community in the nonprofit sector, in the families as well.”
Contact Myles Harris at mharris5@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.