The Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre (VLACC) is excited to announce its collaboration with 2024 VMF, promising to bring an extra splash of fun to the festival’s final day!

Fiesta Plural is all about celebrating Latin American culture’s cool, colourful vibes right here in Vancouver! Hosted by VLACC, this annual party is where young and upcoming Latinx artists get to showcase their incredible talents through dance, music, and visual art. But it’s more than just a party; it’s a deep dive into the vibrant world of Latin American arts. So, come hang out, discover new favourites, and celebrate the diversity that makes our city great!

Magik Moments will capture the fun and memories with their photo booth available throughout the event. Expect a bunch of surprises. 

Date: Sunday, August 11, 2024
Time: 2 pm – 10 pm
Location: City Centre Artist Lodge – 2111 Main St. and surrounding areas

FREE – NO REGISTRATION

LINEUP

MAIN STAGE:

2:00 – 3:00 pm: MNGWA
3:20 – 4:20 pm: Brejera Band
4:40 – 5:40 pm: Los Duendes
6:00 – 7:00 pm: Empanadas Ilegales

OASIS STAGE – Celebrating Latinas’ Art:

2:00 pm – 3:00 pm: Mai Garnica (Music)
3:15 – 4:15 pm: Carolina Silva (Music)
4:30 – 5:00 pm: Ysadora Dias and Ana Sosa (Dance)
5:15 – 6:15 pm: Dayshade (Music)
6:30 – 7:30 pm: Sara Magal (Music)
7:45 pm – 8:45 pm: Yesenia Florez (Music)
9 pm – 10 pm: DJ Millie Wissar (DJ)

…and more!

Te Quiero Latinx (Roller skates)
Irvin Hernandez (Live paiting)

About the Artists:

MNGWA

MNGWA is a party band for the strange new world, mixing Latin rhythms like cumbia and salsa with psych rock, reggae, funk, and more. With eight band members representing seven countries (Canada, Mexico, Chile, Russia, Ukraine, France, and Japan), each song is a joyful celebration of globalization and sonic experimentation.

Fun fact: MNGWA (pronounced Ming-wah) takes its name from a giant mythical cat in East Africa, known as ‘the strange one’ in Swahili.

Brejera Band and Guests

In the spring of 2004, Brejera began when Mario Silva (São Paulo, Brazil) and Trevor Murray (Nova Scotia, Canada) started experimenting with samba and choro music together. From this collaboration, the band emerged, offering a variety of traditional Brazilian styles, including samba, baião, frevo, and choro. The band features Mario Silva on 7-string guitar and vocals, Trevor Murray on cavaquinho and vocals, Bruno Matos on pandeiro and vocals, Steve Bagnell on saxophone, and Aiko Sato on trombone. Brejera captivates audiences with their authentic and spontaneous Brazilian tunes, delivering a vibrant and immersive musical experience.

Los Duendes

Los Duendes is a Psychedelic Latin Fusion band based out of Vancouver. Engaging timeless rhythms like chicha and cumbia and fusing Jazz, Fusion, Salsa and soulful house to create a unique on-trend sound that mirrors the vibrancy and diversity of contemporary Canadian culture. 

Tener Duende loosely means having a soul, a heightened state of emotion, expression and authenticity. The artistic and especially musical term was derived from the duende, an elf or goblin-like magical creature in Spanish mythology. El duende is the spirit of evocation. It comes from inside as a physical and emotional response to art. ‘The duende is not in the throat; the duende climbs up inside you, from the soles of the feet.’ It is what gives you chills, makes you smile or cry as a bodily reaction to an artistic performance that is particularly expressive.

Empanadas Ilegales

Las Empanadas Ilegales, a Vancouver-based Psychedelic Cumbia and Salsa band, has been captivating audiences since 2017 with their contagious and groovy melodies and powerful percussive rhythms. This seven-piece ensemble, composed of diverse musicians hailing from various Latin American homelands, blends cumbia rhythms, hypnotic guitar melodies, and experimental salsa saxophone lines with surf-rock/free-jazz fusion. Their latest record, “Creepy Mambo,” pays homage to Cumbia cult classics while infusing contemporary, experimental synth sounds, slinky dub grooves, and feverish percussion departures.

Today, Las Empanadas Ilegales continues to craft new music and offer electrifying performances at festivals across Canada, including the Vancouver International Jazz Fest, Calgary Folk Fest, Tofino Jazz Fest, Small World Toronto, Global Toronto and more. With a lineup that boasts diverse talent, they offer a diverse and inclusive experience on stage. Having performed alongside acclaimed acts like Killer Mike, Sonido Gallo Negro, Helado Negro, Haley Blais, DEHD, Jesse Roper and many others, they cultivate an immersive experience that guarantees an unforgettable journey for all audiences. With their infectious beats and unique sound, Las Empanadas Ilegales are a must-have addition to any lineup, offering an unparalleled energy and vibrancy that keeps crowds moving and grooving all night long

Fun Fact: The band was founded by members from Ecuador, Argentina, Colombia, and Peru, and has since evolved into a unique blend of sounds. Just like each of these countries has its own version of empanadas, they love to mix and experiment with music, creating something truly special!

Mai Garnica

Songwriter, singer, and pianist Mai Garnica lives and creates music on the traditional lands of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tsleil-Waututh Nations. Originally from La Plata, Argentina, Mai blends rock, Argentine folk, and Latin sounds. She works with artists who share her vision, like guitarist Nadim Woolgar, to celebrate cultural diversity.

Their performances are deeply rooted in Argentine culture, and explore the theme of uprootedness, or “desarraigo.” Mai’s heartfelt compositions and thoughtful lyrics take listeners on a moving musical journey that crosses borders.

Carolina Silva

Caro Silva is a Colombian artist who excels in composition, singing, and songwriting. She studied at the Autonomous University of Bucaramanga, focusing on classical music, musical theatre, and traditional Latin American folklore. As a member of UNAB’s professional chorus, she competed in prestigious choral contests across Europe and gained recognition. Caro was also engaged with Studio5, a musical theatre company in Bucaramanga, where she explored music, theatre, and dance.

In 2022, Caro moved to Vancouver, Canada, to pursue marketing and graphic design alongside her musical aspirations. Her style blends Latin American roots with contemporary influences, drawing inspiration from artists like Simon Diaz and Natalia Lafourcade. Her compositions delve into personal experiences, inviting introspection and contemplation.

Caro has performed at various venues and festivals in Vancouver, including the Vancouver Latin American Film Fest, Indie Fest, and Latin America Heritage Month, captivating audiences with her soulful performances. She is currently dedicated to crafting original music and aims to launch her work in the future, seeking to share her unique voice and perspective with audiences worldwide.

Ysadora Dias

Photo: Caio Silva

Ysadora Dias is a Brazilian dance artist based in so-called ”Vancouver”. She began her dance path at Escolas de Danças de Caraguá, where she trained in ballet, contemporary dance techniques, Brazilian dances, and capoeira. Upon graduating, she joined CBMC Dance Company and the collective “Pé na Areia” as a performer, collaborating in the creation and production of several performances throughout Brazil. Ysadora then moved to Vancouver to enrich her artistic development with Coastal City Ballet, where she remained for three seasons as a company member. In 2021, she joined Amok Project, and more recently, she has worked with Co.Erasga, MascallDance and is currently an artist in residence in the Re-Centering Margins Residency 2024. 

Ana Sosa

Ana Sosa has performed and choreographed contemporary pieces in Mexico, Vancouver, New York City, London, and Amsterdam, where she has displayed her work at The Dance Centre, NYC Dance Arts, Steps on Broadway, Pace University, Martha Graham Studios, and Blue Elephant Theatre, among other venues. She is currently part of Okam’s Racer, a new collective founded in November 2020 by herself, Jenna Berlyn, Samantha Krystal, and Will Jessup. Okams Racer most recently performed a 35-minute piece supported by Dance West Network’s Recentering Margins Creative Residency and New Works.

Dayshade

Dayshade brings together the unique talents of Olivia Shaw (violin and guitar), Maya Graves (violin and guitar), Dora Prieto (accordion), and Renata Rovelo (shakers, drums, and snaps). Singing in Spanish, French, and English, Dayshade’s music explores themes of friendship, growing up, the housing crisis, and the challenges of experiencing loss at a young age. With a multicultural background with nationalities from Colombia, Guyana, Mexico, the UK and Canada, Daysahde will transport you to the bottom of the ocean and the realities of being a young adult in the modern era.

Sara Magal

Photo: Luciana Freire D’Anunciação.

Sara Magal is a dynamic Brazilian singer and songwriter based in Vancouver since 2016. Originally from Brasília, she released her first album, “Cavalo Preto” in 2014, winning Best Vocal Performer at the Rádio Nacional FM Festival the same year. Her music is a vibrant fusion of samba, bossa nova, forró, jazz, and other styles. She’s known for her knack for reimagining traditional tunes with innovative arrangements, always adding a Brazilian twist that makes each piece uniquely her own. Whether performing live or recording new tracks, Sara brings a fresh, exciting energy to the music scene, making each song distinctly personal and captivating.

Yesenia Florez

Yesenia Flórez is an artist, self-taught musician, and amateur writer, born in Bucaramanga, Colombia. From a very young age, she was surrounded by musical influences from her maternal grandfather and older brother, which sparked her deep passion for art and music.  Yesenia developed a deep love for Latin American folklore, Andean roots, and poetry from an early age. 

She is currently working passionately on her first EP. This upcoming release promises to intertwine her diverse influences and personal narrative into an authentic and poetic musical experience.

She has released three singles: “Broma Final” (Andean waltz), “Ritual” (cumbia with sounds from the Colombian Pacific), and “Mi Zamba” (Argentinian zamba with Andeansounds). Her music aims to connect with the audience through authentic stories and emotions.

DJ Millie Wissar

Millie Wissar (she/ella) is a Peruvian-Canadian DJ and sound artist. Her performances offer a sonic exploration of rhythms from Latin bass and experimental techno, combined with influences from Cumbia, Salsa, Andean, and tropical beats. Her music creates an inner journey inspired by nature, constantly shifting between organic textures and dystopian sounds. She is also the creator of the nature-centered podcast, The Happy Listening Project.

More Artists: 

Te Quiero LatinX

Te quiero LatinX is an initiative created with the goal of bringing the Latin community together through roller skating. With 13 years of skating experience and 3 years as a coach, the founder designed this space so that more Latin people, especially women, can learn or get back into skating. By offering affordable classes, they aim to ensure everyone has the opportunity to discover and enjoy the joy that roller skating brings. The ultimate goal is to strengthen the community and create an inclusive and fun environment for everyone.

Irvin Hernandez

Irvin Hernandez’s art is poetic, complex, and ambitious. It penetrates through countless formats, such as canvases, walls, and digital art, to unleash the poetic images hidden beneath different spaces, where the artist expresses the cultural interpretation of each corner where his art is manifested.

Irvin Hernandez was born in 1989 in Zacatecas, Mexico. He studied at the University of Digital Arts in the city of Guadalajara, Jalisco, where he studied Digital Animation. He also studied at the Autonomous University of Durango, where he completed his studies as an architect and specialist in interior design. Most of his career was developed in his hometown, which served as a starting point for collaborating on different projects throughout Mexico. His art has reached places around the world, such as India, Georgia, Turkey, California, and Vancouver. True to the belief that cultural diversity breaks boundaries and contributes to progress, Irvin Hernandez’s art seeks to reflect the cultural connection between communities.

In partnership with: