SOCASTEE, S.C. (WBTW) — The second annual Hispanic Heritage Festival will be going on this weekend in Socastee, and organizers are expecting it to be bigger and better than a year ago.
Advance America is highlighting Hispanic businesses on the Grand Strand as part of Hispanic Heritage Month, which continues through Sunday.
The inaugural event a year ago came on the heels of Hurricane Ian. With only 17 vendors, organizers were not able to make the festival as grand as they had hoped. However, this year, they are expecting more than 40 vendors, who will be sharing Hispanic food, music and culture.
Organizer Karen Hernandez, an assistant manager for Advance America, said the festival is for anyone and everyone and is a great way to support locally owned Hispanic businesses.
“Growing up Hispanic, I’ve always said we are like super friendly,” Hernandez said. “Even if I don’t know another Hispanic family, they’re gonna treat me like if they know me. So, it’s so welcoming. Just because it has the Hispanic Heritage Festival as a name does not mean that only … Hispanics can come. Anyone is anyone is welcome to come.”
The festival will be from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m. Saturday in the Advance America parking lot at 5022 Dick Pond Road in Socastee.
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Taylor Maresca is the weekend morning anchor and morning reporter at News13. She joined the team in June 2022 after graduating from the University of Arizona. Taylor is from Houston. Follow Taylor on X, formerly Twitter, and read more of her work here.
