Hispanic Heritage Month Kicks Off in San Diego County with Fests, Films, More

A number of arts organizations and venues throughout San Diego County will mark Hispanic Heritage Month, which began Friday and continues through Oct. 15.

Take part in fests, see films and explore artists’ work at these spots:

Digital Gym Cinema

The East Village theater features a different Latino film throughout the month, including The Eternal Memory (through Sept. 21), about an accomplished couple trying to cope with an Alzheimer’s diagnosis, American Homeboy (Friday), a documentary on cholo and pachuco culture, and Cassandro (Sept. 29-Oct. 5), with Gael García Bernal as an amateur wrestler from El Paso who rises to stardom as the character Cassandro, who becomes known as the “Liberace of Lucha Libre.”

San Diego Wave FC

Festivities begin at 4 p.m. Saturday at the club’s first-ever Fiesta Futbolera on the northeast lawn outside of Snapdragon Stadium, ahead of the team’s match against Kansas City. Mariachi Internacional San Diego will perform and fans can view multiple lowrider groups, including the Unique Ladies, Disciples Car Club, Dead End Car Club, Genuine Car Club and City Car Club. There also will be face painting, poster making and food trucks, with screens set up so supporters can cheer on another team, San Diego Loyal SC, as they face Louisville City FC on the road.

San Diego Public Library

The library presents “Nuestra Cultura,” a series celebrating and recognizing the heritage, history, contributions and culture of Latin American and Indigenous communities. Community celebrations are set for the Mountain View/Beckwourth branch on Tuesday, Central Library on Sept. 26 and Valencia Park/Malcolm X branch on Oct. 10. Branches throughout the month will host games, crafts, film screenings and story times that salute Latin cultures.

San Diego Padres

The team opens Hispanic Heritage Weekend on Friday with Fiesta in the Park. Current WBC Silver Super Middleweight/five-time WBO Super Welterweight Champion Jaime Munguia will throw out the ceremonial first pitch. It will continue over the course of their three-game series against the St. Louis Cardinals, with fireworks set to Latin music on Saturday, and culminating on Sunday with a postgame concert featuring Los Tucanes de Tijuana.

Balboa Park

The House of Pacific Relations offers the Lawn Program, in which individual houses representing countries host fests on rotating weekend days. Several houses, including Mexico, Panama, Peru, Puerto Rico and Spain, on Sept. 23 join to host the Latino Lawn Program, to pay tribute to Hispanic Heritage Month with music and food to sample from each country.

All of Us Festival

The All of Us Research Program will host a free cultural festival at the Chrysalis, the Monarch School’s arts outpost in Barrio Logan, on Oct. 14 with music, dance and entertainment for families, and free health services too. The program seeks to sign up one million people to establish an expansive health database; officials plan to urge the community about the importance of Hispanic representation in health research.