Festival season kicks off with a Spanish accent in St. Bernard Parish this weekend for Los Isleños Fiesta at the Los Isleños Museum Complex, 1345 Bayou Road.
Paired with the folk music and dancing from the Canary Islands will be a visit from the Achimencey del Sur of Santa Lucia de Tirajana on Gran Canaria. Many immigrants to Louisiana during the late 1770s and early 1780s came from the same region. The performers are cultural emissaries of the Atlantic islands and will perform both Saturday and Sunday.
Additional heritage programs will also be presented by Los Isleños Heritage and Cultural Society of St. Bernard.
Other entertainment includes Filipino Hertiage Dance and Music, Harvey Jesus and Fire, Javier Olondo and Asheson, Rockin’ Doopsie, Cypress Pop, Jurnio and Sumtin Sneaky and Julio and Cesar.
The food court pavilions on the grounds will be serving Louisiana cuisine like oysters, fried seafood, hot dogs, burgers and chili, along with traditional Isleño offerings of ropa vieja (roast pork), arroz con pollo (rice and chicken), empanadas, croquettas, the “meal-in-a-bowl” soup caldo and flan. The St. Bernard Tourist Commission will operate a tapas bar featuring Spanish wines, cheeses, chorizo and tortilla a la Gallega, an omelet with chorizo, potatoes and vegetables.
A living history village will feature folklife and folkcraft of the area, with demonstrations spotlighting alligator farming, lace making, quilting, duck decoy carving, duck calling, model boat building, smithing, trapping and Native American culture. A genealogical display will look at the migration of Canary Islanders upriver.
The festival will also include modern crafts for sale, a silent auction and amusement rides.
Entry for the fiesta is $5 from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Saturday and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sunday. For information, visit losislenos.org.