Aribba! The premier Vancouver Latino festival 2026 was beyond stellar. This is a three day festival that begins on Friday night & ends on Sunday evening. Carnival Del Sol brought the house down on Sunday night with the group - Fulanito (Dominican Republic). CDS takes place at Rodgers Park in the Mount Pleasant neighbourhood every July. Two years ago I had stopped in the Dominican Republic & Puerto Rico on my cruise itinerary. The Latino food I ate in both ports was absolutely delicious. It was the first time I'd tried Mofongo (Puerto Rico), a savoury dish with fried plantains & crispy pork skin. I couldn't find any Mofongo at the festival but did settle on a dish from Costa Rica. So yeah, was I excited about CDS or what!? Several Latin American countries were represented at this festival. Several DJ's & bands, playing everything latin from Merengue, Salsa & Reggeton, are brought in to keep this festival lively & entertaining. I got to try out a Costa Rican dish, consisting of steak beans, rice & tomatoe salad. It was excellent. There is plenty of food & dessert options to choose from. This is a kid friendly festival, so bring all five of your kids next year. I've already tagged this festival for next year. Vamos! read more