While Chicago has an abundance of great spots for tacos, margaritas and other sensational Latin American creations all over the city you can bet your bottom dollar some of the very best are found in the Lower West Side neighborhood of Pilsen.
Luckily, this weekend tacos, tamales, tostadas, and more can all be found in the same place for Pilsen’s free four-day family-friendly Latino festival Fiesta Del Sol.
Located in the heart of Pilsen, the event spans an eight-block stretch down Cermak Road making it reportedly the largest Latino festival of its kind in the United States.
With over 100 booths showcasing some of the best food in town, three stages hosting live performances, and an annual Ferris Wheel that can be seen for miles, over 1.5 million people come to enjoy the festival each year.
Starting out as a two-day street party on Blue Island Avenue in the summer of 1973, it originally celebrated the opening of the much-needed Benito Juarez High School after the Chicago Board of Education bent to the pressure of the community demanding a new high school for its young people,
The festival is today a major economic engine for local businesses and the Pilsen community but, according to the Fiesta del Sol website, is still “a celebration of what people can do when they work together; a celebration of the beauty in Latino heritage, history, culture, language and ambition; and a celebration about the future.”
For those who have never been to a Fiesta del Sol before and are interested to know what it is all about, the following 10-minute documentary will give you all you need to know about the four-day festival:
More information can also be found at fiestadelsol.org.
[Featured image courtesy of Fiesta del Sol ]