Quinceañera Expo returns to Delaware: A celebration of culture, community and Latina empowerment

From Philly and the Pa. suburbs to South Jersey and Delaware, what would you like WHYY News to cover? Let us know!

Lively Latin music fills the air as a young girl steps onto the stage in a shimmering gown. Her confident stride reflects the weight of her heritage and her transition into womanhood. Families watch with pride, some reliving their own quinceañera memories, others seeing their daughters prepare for their milestone moment.

For several years, this has been the traditional scene at Delaware’s Quinceañera Expo, an event that is returning this year to celebrate Latin American culture, tradition, and empowerment.

The expo, scheduled for March 2 in Rehoboth Beach, is hosted and created by Hoy en Delaware and is free for all to attend. The event offers a unique opportunity for young Latinas and their families to immerse themselves in the traditions surrounding a quinceañera, a milestone that marks a girl’s transition from childhood to young womanhood as she turns 15.

A quinceañera is a cherished Latin American tradition, blending family, faith and festivity. More than just a celebration, it symbolizes growth, responsibility and the embrace of cultural heritage.

Often compared to a wedding in its scale, planning a quinceañera can take over a year and cost as much as $30,000, and sometimes even more. From selecting the perfect dress to venue shopping, food tastings and choreographed court dances, every detail is meticulously prepared to ensure an unforgettable event.

The Quinceañera Expo, also known as the Miss 15 Magazine Expo or MXVM Expo, was created in 2014 to recognize the deep cultural significance of the quinceañera.

“Lo que nos motivó a hacer esto fue fundamentalmente el futuro de nuestros jóvenes y de nuestras jóvenes en particular, de las jóvenes hispanas”, dijo Virginia Esteban-Somalo, organizadora del evento. “Queríamos darles plataformas para que ellas pudiesen expresarse, pudiesen perder el miedo a presentarse en público y eso no fuese una experiencia traumática, sino que fuese algo divertido”.

“What motivated us to do this was fundamentally the future of our young people and our young women in particular, young Hispanic women,” said Virginia Esteban-Somalo, the event organizer. “We wanted to give them platforms so that they could express themselves, they could lose their fear of appearing in public and that it would not be a traumatic experience, but rather something fun.”

The expo has become an inclusive space for education and representation. One of its key goals is to educate non-Latinos about the deep cultural significance of a quinceañera.

“Era una combinación que nos parecía perfecta y que nos parecía muy novedosa porque no era solamente de una expo quinceañera centrada únicamente en la parte de lo que es el evento, sino centrada también en una insistencia en que se educasen, en que se preparasen”, dijo Esteban-Somalo. 

“It was a combination that seemed perfect to us and that seemed very novel to us because it was not only a quinceañera expo focused solely on the part of what the event is, but also focused on educating themselves, that they prepare themselves,” Esteban-Somalo said.

Beyond helping families prepare, the event also provides young women an opportunity to relive their own quinceañera walks or allows those who never had one to finally experience the moment.

“Para niñas que a lo mejor no habían tenido la oportunidad de hacerlo, podía ser una posibilidad de vestirlas y de que por un momento sintiesen que tenían esa oportunidad, que no se pasaba su momento sin verse vestida con un bonito vestido, en un entorno muy bonito, que podía ser el propio salón donde ya se celebraban sus 15 años, con su familia alrededor”, ella explicó. “De alguna forma darles esa oportunidad.”

“For girls who perhaps had not had the opportunity to do so, it could be a chance to dress them and for a moment to feel that they had that opportunity, that their moment did not pass without seeing themselves dressed in a beautiful dress, in a very beautiful environment, which could be the very room where their 15th birthday was already celebrated, with their family around,” she explained. “Somehow give them that opportunity.”

She also emphasized that while a quinceañera symbolizes a young girl’s transition, it does not mean she is fully prepared for adulthood.

“Afortunadamente pues a los 15 años la niña es una adolescente y se está formando, no es una mujer preparada para salir a la vida. Y la idea es un poco eso, eres un diamante, pero un diamante en bruto”, ella dijo. “Te tienes que pulir y igual que pues vas a tener la oportunidad de ir físicamente evolucionando, creciendo, adorándote, debes internamente prepararte y ser la mejor versión que tú puedas de dar de ti misma por ti, por tu familia y por tu comunidad”.

“Fortunately, at 15 years old, the girl is a teenager and is developing, she is not a woman ready to go out into life. And the idea is a little bit like that, you are a diamond, but a diamond in the rough,” she said. “You have to polish yourself and just as you are going to have the opportunity to essentially evolve, grow, adore yourself, you must internally prepare yourself and be the best version that you can to give of yourself for yourself, for your family and for your community.”

One of the individuals helping to inspire young participants at this year’s event is 20-year-old Leslie Cordova, a past quinceañera who has been involved with “Hoy en Delaware” from a young age. She first participated as ‘Niña de Hoy,’ then as ‘Chica de Hoy,’ and now returns as the face of this year’s expo. Her quinceañera experience and journey into young adulthood have shaped her into a role model for many. At this year’s event, Cordova will be backstage, offering encouragement and motivation to the young participants, ensuring they feel confident as they take the stage.

“My goal is to always help girls be confident within themselves, express herself with the modeling and just know that they are beautiful as is,” she said. “Literally if you go to this event, you can figure out exactly how you want your quinceañera. It’s a showcase where girls should feel confident to be like, ‘Hey I love this dress,’ or ‘Can I buy this dress?’”

Cordova notes that the MXVM Expo is more than just a glamorous event, it reinforces cultural pride.

“It’s a good way to embrace our heritage and to continue to bring those memories and those cultural events that happen en nuestros países [in our origin countries] to Delaware, to a new area, to the United States,” she shared. “I really love embracing my Hispanic heritage and culture within myself. I’m a proud Mexican and I think everyone’s proud of their raíces [roots].”

Food is another integral part of the expo. This year, the Atlantic Sands Hotel, which is hosting the event, has teamed up with Hispanic chefs to craft a special menu that celebrates Latin American flavors. Guests can enjoy traditional dishes like empanadas, tacos and Guatemalan chuchitos, which are tender corn dough tamales filled with chicken or pork, wrapped in corn husks and steamed.

“El chef del hotel con un equipo hispano… van a crear un menú específico para la expo… lo van a estar ofreciendo también al público de no solo de la expo, sino de fuera de la expo ese día”, Esteban-Somalo dijo, enfatizando cómo la comida conecta a las personas con su herencia.

“The hotel chef with a Hispanic team… are going to create a specific menu for the expo… they are also going to be offering it to the public not only at the expo, but outside the expo that day,” Esteban-Somalo said, emphasizing how food connects people to their heritage.

For Esteban-Somalo, one of the most touching aspects of the expo is seeing how it impacts families, unifies the community and fosters confidence among the younger generation while continuing to showcase their cultural pride.

–

Editor’s note: WHYY has partnered with “Hoy en Delaware” to produce stories in English and Spanish, with a focus on Delaware’s Latino population.