BETHLEHEM, Pa. — This weekend, you can celebrate the contributions of the Puerto Rican community at ArtsQuest's ¡Sabor! Latin Festival.
Now in its 14th year, the three-day celebration will be Thursday, June 26, through Saturday, June 28, on the SteelStacks campus.
New this year will be a free movie screening of "Our Latin Thing," or "Nuestra Cosa," a documentary directed by Leon Gast.
The film documents a 1970s Fania All-Stars salsa concert while showcasing the Latino community in Spanish Harlem during that era.
It features interviews with iconic salsa performers Willie Colón and Larry Harlow, as well as posthumous footage of Ray Barretto, Johnny Pacheco and Héctor Lavoe.
The film will begin at 7 p.m. Thursday in Frank Banko Alehouse Cinema.
Following the movie, Clave Legacy, a Latin-jazz/faith-based group, will perform from 9 to 11 p.m. on the Community Stage.
La Noche de San Juan
As in years past, ¡Sabor! will officially begin with the Puerto Rican flag-raising ceremony at 6 p.m. Friday, June 27.
The national anthem of La Isla del Encanto will be performed, along with the U.S. national anthem.
Community speakers will attend the flag-raising, which takes place a week after La Noche de San Juan, a holiday celebrated in Puerto Rico and Latin and South America.
The holiday, in honor of St. John the Baptist, was brought to Bethlehem by Puerto Ricans who moved to the city's South Side in the 1940s and '50s.
As reported in a new book, "Latino Roots of Bethlehem: Latino Influencers of Bethlehem (1940-1950)," several Puerto Rican leaders organized a parade and celebration for Día de San Juan in June, before ¡Sabor! Latin Festival found its home at the SteelStacks campus.
Also on Friday, Rio Bossa will perform from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on the Community Stage.
At 8 p.m., Philadelphia-based crooner Celeste La Fiera will perform a tribute to Celia Cruz alongside Hector Rosado y Su Ochrestra Hache at Levitt Pavilion.
Cruz, known as The Salsa Queen, headline Bethlehem's Musikfest festival in 1998 and drew a sold-out audience.
Herencia Jibara closes out the night from 9 to 11 p.m., also on the Highmark stage.
Sol Katana, Plena Libre
Saturday's festivities will include free performances by five bands, including Latin pop/rock, salsa, cumbia and merengue.
Also on the Community Stage:
Sol Katana will perform from 4 to 5:30 p.m., followed by Grupo Hipnosis from 6:30 to 8 p.m., and Pancho Bongo y su Orquesta from 10 to midnight.
At the Levitt Pavilion, Grupo Rebolú will perform from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m.
At 8 p.m., Plena Libre, a 12-member band from Puerto Rico, known for its Afro-Caribbean rhythms that blend sounds of plena and bomba, will perform a two-hour set.
Puerto Rican food, Colombian arepas
On Friday and Saturday, attendees can take a break from dancing to munch on Latin eats.
Food vendors scheduled to appear are festival staples such as Holy Infancy Church and School, Hogar CREA, La Frikitona and Fiesta Churros.
New this year will be MozzArepas, a popular food truck that serves Colombian-style stuffed arepas.
