Heritage Celebrations

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Key West's Cuban American Heritage Festival features a coast-to-coast conga line.

Photo Credit: Kissimmee/Osceola County Chamber of Commerce

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Miami's Calle Ocho Festival is par of the popular 10-day Carnaval Miami festival.

Photo Credit: Carnaval Miami

You don't have to speak Spanish to enjoy Florida's Hispanic culture and Latin flavors.

Whether it’s the Latin Festival in Pensacola, where Florida’s Spanish influence began, or the Calle Ocho Festival in Miami, the nation’s largest Hispanic-themed event, you don’t have to go far to find the perfect fête to celebrate with your family.

Calle Ocho Festival, Miami

Part of the popular Carnaval Miami 10-day season at the end of February and early March, this festival is the fabulous finale and attracts more than a million people to a 23-block area in the heart of Miami. Continuous live music provides the rhythm for lots of fancy footwork as musicians perform on 30 stages. The KidzZone is a blast with bounce houses, storytellers and clowns. Plus there are vendors selling mouth-watering dishes, cultural displays and workshops. This over-the-top celebration has been billed as the “World’s Largest Block Party!”

More Miami and the Keys: Cuba Nostalgia is held each spring in Miami around May 20, the date of Cuba’s independence from Spain. A coast-to-coast conga line is the signature event during Key West’s Cuban American Heritage Festival.

Puerto Rican Cultural Parade and Folklore Festival, Tampa

Each April, the festival showcases musical groups and performers from Puerto Rico, New York, Orlando and local areas. This family-friendly fiesta presents indigenous Puerto Rican folklore, music and dances, including Vejigantes, Sanqueros and Cabezudos. Cabezudos are characters dressed up in colorful dresses, some wearing big masks and others walking on stilts.

More Tampa: The Festival del Sabor in September at Centennial Park features a popular Latin recipe contest and cook-off. In November, nearly 10,000 people attend the Cigar Heritage Festival for the rich ambiance and flavors of Ybor City.

Latin Festival, Pensacola

Pensacola is where Florida was first settled, and the Latin Festival in early May is an annual highlight for locals that trace their lineage back centuries to the original Spanish settlers. At the heart of this celebration is a reverence for history and art. In 2009, Pensacola observed its 450th anniversary with a visit from Spanish royals and more than a dozen other events.

Viva Osceola Festival Latino, Kissimmee

The largest Hispanic festival in Central Florida, Viva Osceola is known for its fun atmosphere, food and entertainment for families. Watch for it in early October. A beer garden is a popular element for the adults, while arts and crafts and kids’ activities go on all afternoon.

I plan on dancing my way through the state. How about you?