Hispanic Music Festival includes events in downtown Pittsburg  

The Hispanic Music Festival, hosted by the Pittsburg State University Music Department in collaboration with many community partners, kicked off this week with two memorable concerts, and the music will continue through Oct. 19.  

Coming up:   

Sept. 19

Downtown Pittsburg will come alive with a two-part event dubbed “Sonidos del Corazon: Music Under the Stars.” The fun gets underway outdoors on the north lawn of Memorial Auditorium at 5 p.m. with food trucks, local dancing groups, and Pittsburg Hispanic Banda.   

At 8 p.m., the fun moves inside to a high-energy concert by Making Movies, a Grammy-nominated band founded by a Panamanian songwriter, musician, filmmaker, and cultural producer. the band interweaves styles as divergent as cumbia and blues, salsa, soul, and rock-n-roll.  

The band has turned heads as a Tiny Desk newcomer and is producing AMERI’KANA TV, a National Endowment for the Arts-funded documentary series. The evening is free to attend, with the exception of food purchased from the food trucks. 

Sept. 24

The Peruvian group AylluKc will perform folkloric and classic music from the Andes of Peru and Bolivia. The concert will begin at 7:30 p.m. in McCray Hall. The band name is a Quechua word for “family” — fitting as the group formed in Kansas City from a common love for Latin folk music. They mix traditional and contemporary instruments to create a soundscape as diverse as its members. The concert is free. 

Sept. 27

A two-part event will again take place in downtown Pittsburg. Dubbed “Hispanic Route,” the first event will be held from noon to 2 p.m. at the Pritchett Pavillion and will feature local artists with Hispanic related art, local musicians, a block party, and the first High School Hispanic Banda.   

The second event will begin at 7 p.m. in the empty lot next to the Colonial Fox Theatre and will include dessert food trucks and a high-energy performance by the Crossroads Jazz Band. Both events are free to attend, with the exception of food purchased from food trucks. 

Additional events are planned for Oct. 1, Oct. 8, Oct. 15, and Oct. 19.

Details: events.pittstate.edu/hispanicfestival