Fifth annual Las Vegas CultureFest celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month

The Harrah’s Fifth Annual Las Vegas CultureFest will take place Oct. 3, from noon-6 p.m. at the Las Vegas Springs Preserve. Harrah’s is lead sponsor for the event, which celebrates Hispanic Heritage Month, as part of its effort to support cultural diversity throughout the world.

This is the first year that CultureFest will be held at the Springs Preserve, located at 333 s. Valley View Blvd., across from the Meadows mall. In a joint statement, event creators Charles Tureaud and Kimberly Bailey- Tureaud said it is “very exciting to bring the Harrah’s Fifth Annual Las Vegas CultureFest to the Springs Preserve. Our mission to bring all cultures together in celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month is momentous, because we all have so much to share and embrace. The event couldn’t be possible without our great partners such as Harrah’s and the Springs Preserve. Also, we are delighted to have the Meadows and Boulevard malls as our sponsors — which has expanded the Springs Preserve celebration to the Meadows mall, where people can enjoy a Cultural Shopping Day on Oct. 3 in conjunction with our event. We promise great fun for the entire family.” Helping to spread the word about the event are a number of media partners: Channel 8, KCEP-FM, 88.1, El Tiempo, Cancha Newspaper, La Kalle 99.3 FM, the Las Vegas Review-Journal and Las Vegas Black Image Magazine.

The $250 million Springs Preserve will offer interactive delights for children, along with Hispanic arts, music and entertainment. Venue spokeswoman Angelica Quiroz-Maralason said there is deep historical signifi cance for the celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, which she said “takes place from mid-September to mid-October. It is a celebration of all countries from Latin America celebrating their independence from Spain. It is a celebration leading up to Columbus Day, which (some) Hispanics call Our People’s Day.” The Meadows and Boulevard malls are offering a special raffl e for a $500 shopping gift certifi cate for CultureFest attendees. Those interested in participating in the raffl e must register online at lasvegasblackimage.com and be present at the Springs Preserve when the winner is announced on Oct. 3 at 2 p.m. “The Harrah’s Fifth Annual Las Vegas CultureFest is all about celebrating each other and learning about each other,” said Springs Preserve public information coordinator Nicole Lise. “This helps everyone to live together more peacefully and to love one another. What better way to learn about other cultures than through good food, music and entertainment?”

Tickets for CultureFest are $5 for adults and $3 for children. Call (702) 822-7700 for additional information. Businesses interested in becoming vendors can call (702) 615-8216.