Baila Con Dover returns for 4th year to unite Latino communities in Delaware and kick off Hispanic Heritage Month

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Baila Con Dover is returning later this month, once again bringing thousands of people to Legislative Hall in Dover for a day of live music, cultural performances, food and family activities that organizers hope will kick off Hispanic Heritage Month celebrations across Delaware.

The festival is organized by HOLA, the Hispanic Organization of Latin Americans, a Dover-based nonprofit founded to connect and support Latino communities in Kent County.

For HOLA founder Anthony Velazquez, the organization began years before it became an official nonprofit. While serving in the military at Dover Air Force Base, he noticed there were few opportunities for Latino service members and their families to celebrate their respective cultures or connect with one another.

So he decided to organize small cultural events on base himself, bringing together music, food and traditions from across Latin America to create what he called “a little piece of home.”

“There wasn’t a whole lot on base that had other events and other stuff, but nothing for Latinos,” Velazquez said. “And the same thing I saw off base. All the resources were more north Wilmington and south Georgetown.”

After retiring from the Air Force, Velazquez brought that same initiative into the broader Dover community. HOLA officially became a Delaware nonprofit in 2022, with the goal of serving Latino families in his local community while helping bridge what he describes as a long-overlooked gap between Wilmington and Sussex counties.

“I’m trying to bridge the gap between the north and the south,” he said. “It feels like the center of Delaware has been forgotten, especially for the Latino community. Now it’s growing.”

Baila Con Dover became HOLA’s first signature event in 2023, drawing roughly 1,500 attendees during its inaugural festival. Attendance grew to about 2,000 the following year. This year’s festival comes after Velazquez said organizers saw attendance level off amid heightened immigration enforcement and concerns within the Latino community.

Still, he said the festival continues to grow each year by adding new attractions.

This year’s celebration begins in the morning with Zumba and a vendor marketplace, before transitioning into cultural performances from 1 to 4 p.m. The afternoon will also feature a car show, while the evening will shift to a concert, featuring groups performing bomba and plena, salsa and merengue, with local and Puerto Rican artists.

The festival has expanded well beyond its original format. Since its first year, organizers have added a children’s zone, the car show, a domino tournament and more family-friendly activities throughout the day.

Visitors can also sample food representing countries across Latin America and the Caribbean, including Puerto Rican, Mexican, Colombian, Dominican and Venezuelan cuisines, along with desserts, shaved ice, soul food and other festival favorites.

“We have Gustito Boricua, Puerto Rican food,” Velazquez said. “We have Tu Sabor Latino, which is a mix of a variety of Mexican food. We have people coming from New York, with Colombian food. We’ll have Dominican food with La Casita restaurant out of Milford. We also have soul food. We have another person that’s going to bring hot dogs and hamburgers and funnel cake.”

For Velazquez, however, the festival is about far more than entertainment.

“La celebración se trata de unir a la comunidad a través de la celebración. Que todo el mundo venga y participe y que se junte como en familia y que celebre la vida y que celebre la unión de de este pueblo y del estado y darnos a representar y enseñarle al mundo quiénes somos”, él dijo. “Nosotros somos personas humildes, trabajadoras y que nos gusta celebrar como cualquier otra persona en el mundo.” 

“The celebration is about uniting the community through celebration. We want everyone to come and participate, to come together like family, to celebrate life, and to celebrate the unity of this town and state. We want to represent ourselves and show the world who we are,” he said. “We are humble, hardworking people who like to celebrate, just like everyone else in the world.”

Baila Con Dover will take place Saturday, Aug. 29, from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Legislative Hall in Dover. Admission is free, and organizers encourage people of all backgrounds to attend and experience the music, food and cultures that make up Delaware’s Latino community.