The West End Arts District organized their final event of 2022, in celebration of the Latin music and culture in the Bay Area.

About a thousand people were in attendance for Fiesta Alameda on Saturday, Nov. 5, at Alameda Point Taxiway.

The opening band of the event was SambaFunk!, who put on an entertaining performance and set a lively mood for the rest of the day. DJ Raul kept the Fiesta music going with vibrant Latin beats.

The family craft section at the Fiesta’s center honored the recently passed Día De Los Muertos on Nov. 2, with coloring activities depicting the traditionally decorated calaveras, tissue paper banners, and bright yellow and orange marigolds.

Local artisans took part in the festivities to present their quality handcrafts in dozens of booths around the perimeter of the event. Young artists and small businesses displayed their work, which had luckily endured the early bad weather. Handcrafts such as delicate jewelry, custom clothing, and aromatic soaps decorated the stands.

The band, Los Alegres Callejeros performed for a captivated audience many times during the fiesta. Some attendees set up chairs to sit and enjoy the energetic atmosphere and others joined in the experience by dancing along to the buoyant Cumbia music.

When La Criolla Mixta took to the stage, their Puerto Rican Folk music attracted a crowd of dancing couples beneath. The lively music brought people up onto their feet.

In celebration of Latin foods, businesses from around the bay joined the party and sold dishes of cuisines ranging from Mexican tacos to El Salvadoran pupusas. The star of the Fiesta’s drinking scene was the Michelada; a unique blend of hot sauce, lime, Modelo beer, Worcestershire sauce and clamato juice.

West End Arts District was founded in 2015. Their mission is to provide a platform for artists to create vibrant art experiences on the West End of Alameda.