For the last four decades, La Plaza has hosted its annual FIESTA each September to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. However, this year organizers announced on Aug. 20, the festival will be canceled out of concern for community safety.
The state’s largest Hispanic cultural celebration, FIESTA brings thousands of Hispanic and Latino families to Indianapolis to celebrate their cultural roots.
La Plaza, the oldest and largest Latino nonprofit in Indiana, had planned to celebrate its 44th FIESTA on Sept. 20, but organizers believed it would be in the community’s best interest to re-evaluate this year’s event in light of the Trump administration’s immigration enforcement policies.
“This difficult decision was made after thoughtful consideration of several factors beyond our control and, most importantly, out of deep concern for the safety and well-being of the Hispanic community,” said Miriam Acevedo Davis, president of La Plaza, in a news release.
“While FIESTA has been a beloved tradition for more than four decades, bringing together thousands of people to celebrate Hispanic American culture, music, and community, circumstances this year have made it impossible to host the event in the way our community deserves.”
Although Indiana has not experienced any major raids, some events have raised fear in the Latino community, such as the ICE arrests in Indianapolis and the Avon traffic blitz, in which U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents arrested about 20 people.
Instead of hosting a large celebration outside, La Plaza will partner with Univision to spotlight the stories of people and places that make Central Indiana’s Latino community “so rich and resilient.”
“We believe reshaping the event is the most responsible course of action to ensure the health and safety of our families, vendors, and supporters,” Acevedo Davis said in the press release.
“We remain committed to celebrating Hispanic Heritage in Central Indiana. Although this year’s format looks different, the spirit of FIESTA lives on stronger than ever.”
La Plaza provided no additional details about the future showcases it plans to host on Univision.
Noe Padilla is a Public Safety reporter for IndyStar. Contact him at npadilla@indystar.com, follow him on X @1NoePadilla or Bluesky @noepadilla.bsky.social.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: La Plaza cancels 44th annual FIESTA celebration “out of concern for community safety”
Reporting by Noe Padilla, Indianapolis Star / Indianapolis Star
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