Thousands turn out for salsa fest

More than 1,100 people arrived at the opening of the 3rd annual Maricopa Salsa Festival Presented by inmaricopa.com at Pacana Park this morning.

Attendance is expected to exceed 4,000 by the end of the day, and festivities will include salsa tasting, live music and will feature more than 78 business vendors.

“We couldn’t do all of this without great volunteers,” said Marty McDonald, Director of the Parks, Recreation and Libraries Department.

Competitors in the salsa festival have prepared more than 55 different types of salsa as part of the Salsa Challenge. The winner of the taste test will be announced at 5:45 p.m. after all ballots cast by attendees are counted.

Citizens are greeted with a bag of chips and a ballot upon entrance to prepare them for the many salsas prepared by competitors. Food and drink vendors including a beer garden are scattered throughout the park, as well as a main stage that will host live musical acts throughout the day.

The festival also includes a Kids Zone, which will feature a rock climbing wall and carnival games. Also, a magic show featuring Robert Stephens is scheduled for 1 and 3:30 p.m. The Kids Zone will be open until 5 p.m.

The festival however, will continue with musical headliner The Freddie Duran Plan taking the stage at 5 p.m. and will be capped off with a fire works display at 7:30 p.m.

Photos by Jeremy Knop