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Dancers perform during the 2023 Festival Latino de Payson Cultural Celebration.

Courtesy Ruben Jimenez

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Dancers perform during the 2023 Festival Latino de Payson Cultural Celebration.

Courtesy Ruben Jimenez

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Dancers perform during the 2023 Festival Latino de Payson Cultural Celebration.

Courtesy Ruben Jimenez

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Attendees and booths are pictured during the 2023 Festival Latino de Payson Cultural Celebration.

Courtesy Ruben Jimenez

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A flyer shows a list of events slated for the 2024 Festival Latino de Payson Cultural Celebration happening Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024.

Courtesy Ruben Jimenez

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When Ruben Jimenez and his family moved to Payson over a decade ago, he wanted to find a way to highlight Hispanic heritage for the communities in the south end of Utah County.

Jimenez says his family, originally from Mexico City, first moved to Utah 25 years ago and has been in Payson for the last 15 years.

The family does entertainment for a living and performs at Latin festivals and events throughout the state. “And here in Payson, in this area where we moved to 15 years ago, we didn’t see anything like that around here, so the community didn’t have that opportunity,” Jimenez said.

While areas within a reasonable driving distance like Salt Lake County and northern Utah County have various events celebrating Hispanic heritage and Cinco de Mayo, Jimenez said he wanted to do something closer to home.

That would seem to align with population growth among Latinos in Utah.

Recent census data shows a jump in the share of Latinos in Utah County from 13.4% to 14.6% between 2020 and 2023, KSL reported.

Five years ago, he approached the City of Payson with an idea to host an annual Latino cultural celebration with performers, food trucks and booths from different Latin American countries in an effort to bring communities south of Provo together.

Payson City officials liked the idea and it’s become a yearly tradition. “They (Payson) were pretty supportive because, at the same time, the city wanted to bring the community together,” Jimenez said. “And Mayor Bill Wright was a big supporter, and the recreation department as well.”

From there, the Festival Latino de Payson Cultural Celebration was created. Along with the help of city officials, Jimenez organizes the yearly free event, which typically is held in September.

“The festival is greatly supported by the citizens of Payson who enjoy the day listening to and watching the various cultural songs and dances as well as feasting on various cuisine from our local Latino residents,” said Janeen Dean, Payson’s community and cultural events coordinator, in an email. “Payson City is grateful for Ruben and his talented family for bringing us such a fantastic event.”

Jimenez said community members have embraced the festival too as attendance and participation grows year after year — from vendors inquiring about booth space to general questions about what it’s happening each year.

“Every year is getting bigger and bigger and bigger and, I don’t know. In the future, we might have two days of festival or (make it) the whole weekend,” he told the Daily Herald.

Back for its fifth year, the festival showcases local artists, musicians and dancers from various Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Nicaragua, Mexico and Chile. Jimenez says students in a mariachi band at Mt. Nebo Middle School in Payson are set to perform. Attendees also will have the opportunity to taste the culture with authentic cuisine from a variety of food trucks, as well as crafts and information booths providing health and community resources.

The festival aims to bring people from all backgrounds together for cultural exchange and to gain a greater knowledge about different communities.

“To learn about some different beautiful cultures and traditions,” Jimenez said. “Understanding of the world, that’s pretty important. That promotes empathy, enhances creativity as well and strengthens social connections.”

The Festival Latino de Payson happens Saturday from noon to 9 p.m. at the Peteetneet Amphitheater located at 10 S. 600 East in Payson. Cost is free except for food and vendor purchases.