Celebrate Latin American Culture at ¡Sabor!

Celebrate the culture of Latin America as the third annual ¡Sabor! Latin Festival will get under way Thursday at SteelStacks.

The event, presented by ArtsQuest, runs through Sunday, will feature free concerts by Santa Mamba, Ricky Luis and the Luisito Rosario Orchestra, as well as visual arts, Latin dance workshops, a new Mariachi Mass and more. 

¡Sabor! will feature live music by local, regional and national musical acts, as well as a wide variety of cultural programming presented by community organizations such as the Hispanic American League of Artists (HALA), Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley, Borinqueneers, Latin American Motorcycle Association and the South Side Branch of the Bethlehem Area Public Library. 

A 7 p.m. Levitt Pavilion concert by Santa Mamba kicks the festival off on Thursday. Hailing from Providence, R.I., this group has forged a sound it calls Latin Roots Rock and prides itself on its inspiring live performances.

On Friday, ¡Sabor! welcomes Ricky Luis, former lead singer of chart-topping salsa group N’Klabe.

On Saturday, the audience can dance the night away to the Luisito Rosario Orchestra. The lead vocalist for the legendary Larry Harlow from the Fania All Stars, Rosario possesses a beautiful voice and a charismatic and commanding stage presence that has the crowd on its feet all night long.

Among the other performers taking the stage during ¡Sabor! are reggaeton/hip-hop artist Bolo Flow & Friends, merengue and salsa act Grupo Hipnosis, Aztec dance group Cenzontle Cuicatl, DJ Baby J, Latin jazz band Anaisa and the IBM Jíbaro Ensemble, which performs traditional Jíbaro music of Puerto Rico. 

On Saturday at 5 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m., 8-year-old Justin Lopez, known as DJ Ju5tin, will spin his unique blend of dance music. This amazing young artist’s story is one of hope and inspiration as he uses the spirit of music to help him in his fight with a rare form of Muscular Dystrophy.

In addition to the music, festival attendees will find a variety of family fun including a special children’s Latin and Caribbean drum workshop with percussionist Hector Rosado Saturday at 11:30 a.m., bilingual storytelling by the Bethlehem Area Public Library SouthSide Branch at 2 p.m. Sunday, a salsa performance and workshop by Mambo Fuego Sunday at 4:30 p.m., and art programming presented by the HALA Saturday.

Other ¡Sabor! highlights include a motorcycle brigade, organized by Borinqueneers and the Latin American Motorcycle Association, that will visit SteelStacks at noon Saturday; a Puerto Rican and American flag raising ceremony in honor of St. John the Baptist, patron saint of Puerto Rico, also at noon Saturday; and Latin cuisine served up by vendors such as Hogar Crea and Holy Infancy Catholic Church.

New at ¡Sabor! this year is a Mariachi Mass featuring the David Hernandez Mariachi Band. The worship service, presented by Holy Infancy Catholic Church, takes place June 23, 10:30 a.m.

ArtsQuest is also partnering with the Hispanic Center Lehigh Valley and New Bethany Ministries to conduct a food drive during the festival. Guests are invited to donate nonperishable food items that will then be shared with the Hispanic Center and New Bethany food banks.

For more information on ¡Sabor!, visit www.artsquest.org/sabor.