The Flores del Desierto dancers, translated as “Flowers of the Desert” from Tooele County perform on Vine Street during Tooele City’s Fiesta on Sept. 9, 2023.
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Loading...Over 350 people attended Tooele City’s first downtown fiesta on Saturday, Sept. 9.
Tooele City closed down East Vine Street between Main Street and Garden Street in front of the city’s growing Hispanic business district from 3-8 p.m. for the celebration.
The purpose of the festival was to celebrate Hispanic culture in Tooele and make residents aware of the many Hispanic businesses downtown, according to Tooele City officials.
September is a celebratory month for Mexicans who celebrate Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16.
Tooele City’s Hispanic and Latino population is its largest and fastest growing minority group. Over 1,700 people living in Tooele City in 2021 describe themselves as Hispanic or Latino, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s 2021 American Community Survey.
Music at the festival featured Mariachi Mexico en Utah from SLC and live DJ Dorian. The Fiesta included dancing in the street by performing groups and the public — including dancing lessons. There were also kids’ activities, street vendors, and the Vine Street museums were open.
Several contests were held including a salsa contest,a taco contest, and a pinata contest.
Jose Alvarado won the award for best salsa, C&J Party Supplies won the pinata contest, and Zacatecas Market won the award for best tacos.
“The plan is to make this an annual event around the same time next year,” Jared Stewart a member of the Tooele Downtown Alliance and Tooele City’s economic development director said. “This was a wonderful opportunity to celebrate Hispanic culture in Tooele … There were lines out the doors for businesses and taco trucks. They were busy all night long. It was a successful event.”
