ABIGAIL JACOBSON
News Editor
Graphic provided by Sebastian Montalban.
After unexpected delays, Latinos Unidos’ Carnival is set to electrify Dods Grove with Latin food and live music.
Latinos Unidos (LU) hosts their Carnival event every year, usually during Multicultural Weekend in March. Carnival typically occurs alongside events by groups within the Intercultural Center.
However, “This year, due to several logistical issues and unfortunate events, we had to postpone the event,” Sebastian Montalban, the public relations chair for LU, said.
LU decided to make Carnival “an end-of-the-semester event so that everyone has a chance to enjoy the warmer weather and have some fun towards the end of the semester.”
This event will take place on April 30 from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. at Dods Grove, with a rain location in Steele Hall.
According to Montalban, “Carnival is our take on the iconic festival held in Brazil every year, on a much smaller scale of course.
“It’s meant to show the community just what it is that we in Latinos Unidos represent, as well as showcase some of the talent that SUNY Fredonia has to offer,” Montalban said.
At Carnival, there will be live performances from student groups, different festival-style games and foods from numerous caterers specializing in Latin cuisine. Some of the caterers include Shorty’s, Hotspot Café and FSA. There will also be prizes offered, such as a Roku TV, AirPod Pros and a Nintendo Switch.
According to Montalban, “To me specifically, Carnival is the result of all of our hard work and struggles this year. We’ve been working towards this since the first day of the Fall semester and have spent so much time and energy into making this an event that everyone enjoys and remembers.”
This will be the second Carnival for Montalban. According to him, he and his fellow members of LU have learned a lot from planning the last Carnival.
“Being able to collaborate with such wonderful and creative people has been a highlight of my final semester,” Montalban said.
He sees Carnival as “an event for everyone in the campus community to enjoy.” Montalban mentioned that some “people don’t come to our events or participate in our general body meetings because they feel like they aren’t welcome since they aren’t Latino, but that’s not true at all.”
LU hosts this event and other get-togethers to share their culture and experiences with everyone, “not just other Latinos.”
Montalban notes that “Sharing our culture is something that we take great pride and joy in and we want everyone to enjoy that as much as we all do.”
Sebastian Montalban, who was interviewed in this article, is the Community Relations Coordinator of The Leader.