Valley Fair Mall will host a two-day cultural showcase this weekend, with its September 12 and September 13 gathering featuring music, dance, food, local vendors and cultural traditions meant to honor Hispanic heritage, culture and community.
The event, covered by ABC4 Utah, will feature programming associated with Valley Fair's community events. Valley Fair is collaborating with content creator Mac Castro and local community partners on the programming. More information about the celebration is available through Valley Fair's website.
Hispanic Heritage in West Valley City
The celebration is taking place in a city with a substantial Hispanic or Latino population. An analysis by the Kem C. Gardner Policy Institute reports 49,680 Hispanic or Latino residents, or 36% of West Valley City's population.
Statewide, Hispanic or Latino residents form Utah's largest minority group at more than 434,000 people, or roughly 14% of the state's population, with 72% reporting Mexican heritage, per the same Gardner Institute data. The source reports more than 200,000 Hispanic or Latino residents in Salt Lake County, compared with more than 434,000 statewide.
Ballet Las Américas de Utah
Ballet Las Américas de Utah is listed in background compiled by Repertory Dance Theatre.
Ballet Las Américas de Utah is scheduled to join soprano Mónica Ábrego and the Utah Symphony at Maurice Abravanel Hall on September 21 for the orchestra's annual “Celebración Sinfónica” Hispanic Heritage Month concert, according to the Utah Symphony. That fall concert pairs Latin American orchestral music with a pre-performance outdoor plaza festival.
Why September Is the Anchor for the National Observance
The Valley Fair celebration falls within National Hispanic Heritage Month, a federal observance enacted August 17, 1988, under Public Law 100-402 signed by President Ronald Reagan, expanding what had been a week-long commemoration established by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 into a 30-day period running September 15 through October 15 to celebrate the contributions of Americans with roots in Spain, Mexico, Central and South America and the Caribbean, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.
The observance's mid-September start coincides with the independence anniversaries of Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras and Nicaragua, followed by Mexican Independence Day on September 16 and Chile's Independence Day on September 18, according to the Library of Congress.
Community Events at Valley Fair
Hoodline previously reported on a backpack giveaway the mall hosted for West Valley families ahead of the school year.
West Valley City is home to Valley Fair Mall, which has hosted community events.
ABC4 Utah coverage describes the Valley Fair event as a two-day celebration.
