Fiesta Fort Wayne will pack plenty of festivities into one day at Headwaters Park on Saturday, Aug. 10.

“A beautiful tapestry of different colors, music, food, and lots of nonprofits displaying their services to the community,” organizer Fernando Zapari said. “There’s so much diversity, not just Latin American people. You can see people from all walks of life. It’s a fiesta.”

Strike up the bands

Those vibrant colors that epitomize Hispanic and Latin culture will greet visitors when doors open at 10:30 a.m.

Following an opening ceremony and prayer, the party gets started with Caribbean music spun by DJ Tambora and DJ Payaso, who will be supplying music all day.

Well, almost all day. They will be keeping the party going in between musical acts that include The Angel Project at 11:45 a.m., ranchera singer Juliet Mendoza Rangel at 12:30 p.m., Mariachi Azteca at 1:30 p.m., ranchera singer Mayra la Flor de Michoacan at 3:30 p.m., Grupo Cuadra 260 at 6:45 p.m., Grupo Nueva Imagen at 8 p.m., and Grupo los Gatos del Tex Mex at 9 p.m.

“We have very diverse music and folkloric dancing coming from Indianapolis, Elkhart, Ohio, and Fort Wayne,” Zapari said.

The dance groups will be Grupo de Danza Amaneceres de Mexico at 1 p.m., Ballet Folklorico Guadalupano at 2:45 p.m., and International Ballet Folklorico Mosaicos at 5 p.m.

Amid all the dancing, the Low Rider Show returns this year, with the hydraulic vehicles making there way into the pavilion for some “three-wheel motion,” as Ice Cube would say.

“We bring in some cars, then they do some dancing — you could call it that,” Zapari said. “We allow about three, four, or five cars.”

There will also be activities for the children, including face-painting and maybe even piñatas — if organizers are up for some cleanup.

“I always debate doing it because we have to clean it up,” Zapari said. “We leave the park very clean.”

A day at the park

All along, you’ll be able to grab a bite from one of the many food trucks, sip a drink, and check out the vendors.

“Beautiful artisans will be there with handmade items from different countries,” Zapari said.

Regardless of what brings you in, you just might find it hard to leave.

“People pop in, but some of them stay all day,” Zapari said. “We have so much going on during the day. There is always something going on.”

With so much going on, Zapari has been hearing a common question: “Why not extend the party past one day?”

“Everyone asks us that,” he said. “We definitely have to do that. Too many people have been asking the past two years.”

Vibrant community

While organizers contemplate a longer festival, their main focus is on celebrating what makes them special.

“Hispanic, Latin, American culture — a little bit of everything. This is who we are,” Zapari said.

And Zapari, who is editor and publisher of the Spanish-language publication El Mexicano, is proud of how the city has celebrated the culture.

“Fort Wayne is one of the best mid-sized cities in the world,” he said. “I’ve been here since 1978, so I can attest to that. I have seen the gradual change over the last 20 years in Fort Wayne. We are very vibrant.”

Things will only get more vibrant when the bright colors and raucous music of Latin America and South America fill Headwaters Park on Aug. 10.