Latin Expressions 2026 festival celebrates the diversity of Latin American cultures
The event, which takes place during October to mark Latin American Heritage Month, includes live music, literary readings, and guided tours of exhibitions featuring ancient and modern-day art
Left to right: Midnight Boogaloo guitarist Alan Ruiz (photo by Camille Neirynck Guerrero) and Valeria Luiselli (photo by Clayton Cubitt)
The Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre presents Latin Expressions 2026 at various venues from October 1 to 27
DID YOU KNOW that the Latin American community is one of the fastest-growing population groups in Canada, nearly tripling over the last two decades? It’s no wonder, then, that back in 2018 the Parliament of Canada passed an act to proclaim October Latin American Heritage Month.
The Vancouver Latin American Cultural Centre first presented its Latin Expressions festival in 2022, and this year, the multidisciplinary celebration takes place October 1 to 27 at various venues around Metro Vancouver. Expect music, dance, literature, film, visual arts, and community experiences, all designed to create, as VLACC said in a recent press release, “opportunities for people from different backgrounds to discover new perspectives, exchange ideas and find points of connection across cultures”.
“Latin Expressions reflects the extraordinary diversity of Latin American cultures and the many ways our stories continue to evolve across borders,” says Lili Vieira de Carvalho, VLACC executive director. “We want audiences to discover exceptional artists and experiences, but also to meet one another, exchange perspectives and recognize something of themselves in stories that may come from somewhere else. That sense of connection and belonging is at the heart of the festival.”
Here’s what to expect at this year’s edition:
On October 1, the Vancouver Public Library Central Branch hosts a celebration of Mexican-Canadian writing featuring Antolina Ortiz Moore, editor of the anthology De la Sierra Madre al Universo Boreal, and contributors Mara Álvarez, Óscar Yahir Aguilar, and Romero Salaspuente.
Also on the literary front, Mexican writer Valeria Luiselli joins a special edition of VLACC’s Latin American Reading Group, presented in partnership with the Vancouver Writers Fest at the Dockside Lounge on October 22. The VPL’s head of cultural programming, Jorge Amigo, will moderate a discussion based on Luiselli’s essay “Border” from Tell Me How It Ends: An Essay in Forty Questions.
Tupananchiskama: Ancient Andean Cosmovision at the Museum of Anthropology.
On October 4, guest curator and archaeologist Luis Manuel González and Indigenous ancestral healing guide Paola Noriega will host a guided tour of the Museum of Anthropology exhibition Tupananchiskama: Ancient Andean Cosmovision, which explores the world views of ancient Andean civilizations through nearly a hundred pre-Columbian ceramic, textile, bone, and wood works.
More modern artworks will be the focus on October 24 as Vancouver-based Mexican artist Gina Ortiz-Figueroa presents a tour and discussion of her solo exhibition I Contain Multitudes, From the Yukon to Patagonia, at the Alliance Française Gallery.
Get ready to bust your best salsa and cumbia moves at Performance Works on the evening of October 10, as I Like It Like That! presents a journey through Latin and Afro-Caribbean music featuring Trópico Norte, Salseo, and Midnight Boogaloo.
At the same venue from October 16 to 18, the Yupi! Latin American Arts Family Festival is aimed at kids aged three to twelve and features workshops, food, a Carnaval Ball, and performances by MNGWA, Capoeira Aché Brasil, Nahualli Folklore, and Canto Vivo Choir.
Latin Expressions 2026 wraps up with a special screening of Juan José Campanella’s acclaimed Argentine drama The Secret in Their Eyes at the VIFF Centre on October 27. Argentine educator and translator María Teresa Venditti introduces the film as part of VIFF’s Talking Pictures series.
While many events during Latin Expressions 2026 are free, some are ticketed. Visit the VLACC website to learn more. 
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