The free community festival would combine Latin American music, dance, entertainment, food, crafts and other cultural activities to highlight the multi-cultural nature of Latin America, the Borough and wider City region, allowing expression of individuals’ and communities’ cultural identity in accordance with their human rights. The Festival will provide an opportunity for the public, including people from the local area not usually involved in cultural events in the town centre, to participate. It is proposed that Viva Latinfest and the International Slavery Museum jointly prepare a cultural rights exhibition along Lord St or the Promenade to encourage festival goers and local residents alike to reflect on the theme of cultural heritage and identity. *We will continue to be guided by safety considerations. In the event of needing to reschedule the festival, we will communicate this via our Spacehive page.*

What we'll deliver:

• A showcase of live Latin American music and dance performances from local national & world class Latin artists.
• A market allowing local traders and community groups to offer ethnic food and fair trade, arts and crafts exhibitions.
• An exhibition on cultural rights illustrating an article from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
• Evening after parties allowing local venues to support the festival and visitors to continue to enjoy the local artists.
• Free access to the festival for all

Why it's a great idea:

• Highlight the wider City region’s Common cultural heritage, its integration into a world system and shared cultural identity of multicultural and multi-faith communities. • Ensure the participation of diverse communities. • Build Bridges of Understanding for more meaningful interaction and cooperation across cultures. • Unify local community groups on the common ground of Cultural Rights, to encourage future collaboration between people of diverse cultures and faiths. • Raise awareness of global challenges to provide an opportunity for school & community education and participation. • Stimulate interest in The Atkinson, Southport Eco Centre and National Museums& their contribution to human rights and environment. • Build on the Legacy of Sefton Borough of Culture 2020 by stimulating cultural interaction and cooperation within the wider City Region. • Strengthen Southport’s International reputation as a Coastal Resort and Community committed to cultural heritage & environment.

Steps to get it done:

• Create Organisational Structure and designate roles
• Create Event Budget
• Select Venues and Artist
• Confirm Technical and Health & Safety Arrangements
• Obtain necessary insurance and music licences
• Make necessary arrangements for artist accommodation & travel
• create website , marketing strategy and begin promotion
• contact market vendors and supporting local businesses
• Purchase costumes instruments and decorations
• Create Marketing Strategy, Print Poster Flyers Banners and Begin Promotion
• Network with schools, community groups
• invite dignitaries, speakers to participate
• Research sustainable, technologies fair trade, environment and Human Rights to share information
• Gather Artist and Speaker bios and Arrange for newspaper press and radio features
• Draw up festival schedule /Programme and liaise with artists
• Oversee dance performance arrangements confirm timings and space required
• Check and order any additional necessary supplies
• Create Emergency Plan
• Train and prepare volunteer staff
• Confirm the set up with the whole festival team
• Run through emergency procedures
• Create a timeline of the festival day activities
• Arrange a debrief meeting with festival staff and volunteers

We have collaborated with test live Latin music performances in Preston, Southport, Liverpool & Manchester to analyse Latin music and dance tastes and diversity of artistic talent available. We have established international links to leading Latin music recording artists to plan for the inclusion of international headline acts in future years. A further aim is to host a conference preceding the festival to raise awareness of the interconnected global challenges we face related to, Climate Change, Environment, Sustainability, Poverty, Inequality and Human Rights. The conference could coincide with the UNESCO World Day for Cultural Diversity and Development on 21st May or World Environment Day on 5th June. In future years Viva Latinfest proposes to host an International Conference on Cultural Rights or Environment alongside the festival to coincide with the UNESCO World Day for Cultural Diversity and Development on 21st May or World Environment Day.