ABOVE: Bobby Pulido performs at the 13th Annual Fiesta in Birmingham.

Despite the rain, an estimated 10,000 people came out Saturday, Oct. 3 to Birmingham’s Linn Park to enjoy the 13th Annual Fiesta, Alabama’s largest celebration of Hispanic culture and heritage.

The high-spirited celebration enlightened Alabamians about the culture and lifestyle of people from 20 Latin American countries through art, dance, music and food.

Fiesta from Alabama NewsCenter on Vimeo.

Ballet Mosaico flamenco dancers (Teresa Odom/Alabama NewsCenter)

“With the weather, we were shocked by how many people came,” said Fiesta Inc. President Matt Ennis. “We had a great lineup and we were able to put on a great show that people wanted to see.”

Great shows were the highlight of the Coca Cola-sponsored main stage, where popular artists Bobby Pulido, Toby Love and Montez de Durango performed for the crowd – including two very special people.

“For the second year we were able to work with Children’s of Alabama hospital,” said Ennis. “We invited two young patients backstage to meet the artists they really look up to.”

Fiesta was organized into distinct “villages,” each representing an aspect of Latino life and culture.

“This year’s celebration gave us a chance to showcase all the different pieces of who we are from Puerto Rican to Venezuelan to Mexico,” said Isabel Rubio, executive director of the Hispanic Interest Coalition of Alabama (HICA).

Twenty-five local non-profit organizations sponsored the “community village,” including the Children’s Aid Society, the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute and HICA.

Children’s of Alabama manned a “health and wellness village” where families could receive blood pressure screenings and get information about medical care.

A kid-friendly “family village” featured three-on-three soccer games, face-painting and an arts and crafts tent where Home Depot volunteers in orange aprons helped children build their own maracas and other items.

Fiesta art (Teresa Odom/Alabama NewsCenter)

(Teresa Odom)

The multi-cultural “food village” served Mexican, Peruvian, Colombian, Cuban and other native dishes to the hungry crowd. “The highlight this year was the food,” said Ennis.

And the “cultural village” – the “heart and soul of Fiesta,” according to event manager Denise Koch – allowed each nation and heritage to shine.

“Each tent had its country’s flag,” said Koch. “Volunteers brought costumes and materials to show off from their country. One family actually flew in from Puerto Rico.”

“It’s a beautiful and colorful area that’s always the last to close because everyone is just so proud of it,’ she added.

Proceeds from Fiesta go to college scholarships for deserving Latino students in Alabama with financial needs. In the past, students have attended Samford University, the University of Alabama at Birmingham and Miles College, among others. Last year the festival raised about $10,000.

Organizers had no doubt that this year’s Fiesta would be a success as well.

“Everybody was cold and wet but it didn’t dampen anyone’s spirits,” said Koch. “I was really proud of that.”

Alabama Power served as one of the sponsors of this annual event.