Pembroke Pines Adds More Vendors to Free Hispanic Heritage Festival Sept. 26

The City of Pembroke Pines is adding more vendors to its annual Hispanic Heritage Festival, a free community celebration set for Saturday, September 26, from 5 to 9 p.m. at the Charles F. Dodge City Center. The lineup now includes salsa headliner Melina Almodóvar, Cuban salsa performer Alayn Garcia, Colombian salsa artist Jey Zamorano, and opening act Jacareo, a South Florida collective built around traditional Afro-Puerto Rican plena music.

The city announced the expanded vendor roster in a social media post from the City of Pembroke Pines, which confirmed the September 26 date, the 5 p.m. to 9 p.m. window, and the venue at 601 City Center Way. Admission is free, and the event is sponsored by Baptist Health South Florida, with Publix, El Zol 106.7, and Florida Blue also listed as partners in the announcement.

A Festival Reflecting the City's Majority

The timing lines up with National Hispanic Heritage Month, a federally recognized observance running September 15 through October 15. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the month-long window was enacted into federal law in August 1988 under President Ronald Reagan, expanding an original one-week celebration created in 1968; September 15 was chosen because it coincides with the independence anniversaries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua.

The festival's local roots run deep. Census data compiled by Every City in the USA shows that 50.0% of Pembroke Pines' 173,194 residents identify as Hispanic or Latino, and 40.5% of the city's population was born outside the United States, making the city the second-most populous in Broward County. That demographic makeup positions the free festival less as a one-off entertainment booking and more as an institutionalized expression of who the city already is.

Music From Puerto Rico to Cuba to Colombia

Headliner Melina Almodóvar, known professionally as La Muñeca de la Salsa, was born in Santurce, Puerto Rico, and went on to establish Orquesta Caliente, recognized as one of the first successful salsa orchestras based in the Southern United States, according to background compiled by Alchetron. She released her debut album La Muñeca de la Salsa y Más and regularly performs across South Florida's Latin music venues. Joining her on the bill are Cuban salsa performer Alayn Garcia and Colombian salsa artist Jey Zamorano.

Opening the night is Jacareo, described by Fusicology as a South Florida collective performing traditional Afro-Puerto Rican plena music through hand percussion, street-style arrangements, and participatory call-and-response vocals. Plena is a narrative folk genre from Puerto Rico that historically functioned as a musical newspaper for working-class communities, per the same account. A separate performance area called Voces y Pasos, presented by El Zol 106.7, will feature flamenco dancers, mariachi musicians, folkloric performers, and cultural characters.

Food, Family Zones, and a Recreated Abuela's House

Festivalgoers can wander El Mercado, presented by Space Coast Credit Union, where food vendors, food trucks, and dessert stands will serve dishes from Puerto Rico, Cuba, Colombia, Argentina, Venezuela, and the Dominican Republic alongside handcrafted goods, artwork, clothing, jewelry, and plants. For guests 21 and older, two full-service bars — one presented by the Charles F. Dodge City Center itself — will pour domestic, imported, and Latin-inspired cocktails, beer, wine, and specialty drinks.

Returning for a second consecutive year is Abuela's House, a Publix-sponsored activation built to replicate a traditional Latin household, complete with a flower garden and complimentary Cuban coffee, sandwiches, and lemonade. Nearby, El Patio, presented by Florida Blue, transforms into La Granja, an interactive farm experience for children featuring a piñata party, an attraction called El Gran Gallo y La Vaca, farm-themed games, and photo opportunities.

Kids' Activities and a Quiet Corner for Adults

Children can also visit La Cocina de Mamá, presented by Imusa, where they playfully prepare empanadas, arepas, tamales, and other Hispanic dishes using Imusa kitchen tools, play dough, and child-safe utensils. At Mis Colores, kids create bead bracelets meant to represent family heritage and cultural roots, while the Frank C. Ortis Art Gallery presents Cartas y Corazones, an interactive station inviting guests to write notes in Spanish to family and friends.

Adults looking for a slower pace can head to La Cueva, presented by Aficionado's Premium Cigars & Lounge, which offers a live cigar roller, domino games, and a relaxed space to socialize. The city's announcement lists a phone number, 954-392-2116, and the website www.ppines.com/specialevents for residents seeking more details ahead of the free event.

Part of a Regional Pattern

The festival's underwriting by Baptist Health South Florida and Florida Blue reflects a broader pattern of regional healthcare institutions funding public cultural events across Broward County, according to the City of Pembroke Pines. It also arrives as the city builds out its commercial Latin culinary footprint; Hoodline reported that Miami-based Colombian chain El Machetico opened on Hiatus Road earlier this month, catering to Broward County's estimated 620,000 Hispanic residents.

Pembroke Pines is far from alone in staging these celebrations. Miami-Dade County Commissioner Oliver Gilbert hosted a similar free Hispanic Heritage Month festival at Country Village Park in October 2025, and municipalities across South Florida regularly combine live Latin music, artisan markets, and food vendors to mark the observance each September and October. The Dodge City Center itself, which opened in May 2017 as a $60 million-plus civic facility with 35,000 square feet of flexible event space and a Great Hall seating up to 3,200 guests, sits within an 80-acre downtown civic hub the city broke ground on in 2015 — a hub intentionally built to accommodate gatherings of this scale.