Latin – The Cultural Exposé

Somewhere you should go… Latino Festival by Carnaval Del Pueblo

Aoife Moriarty — Tue, 14 Aug 2012 10:00:42 +0000

Samba dancing, extravagant outfits, pulsating Latin beats and millions of ecstatic revellers. Yes, we’re talking about Rio de Janeiro’s famous ‘Carnaval’ – the infamously spectacular celebration of Brazilian culture that draws partygoers to Rio annually from across the globe.

But perhaps you couldn’t afford the plane ticket this time round.

That’s ok. It’s a little known secret that every year, Latin America’s penchant for flamboyant festivity arrives to London in the form of the Carnaval Del Pueblo. Renamed Latino Festival this year (following the closure of its previous venue London Pleasure Garden), it will now be taking place at The Coronet Theater in Elephant & Castle on August 18th.

The event has been a feature of London cultural life for over a decade, featuring samba, merengue and capoeira rhythms, as well as music and dance from Brazil, Mexico, Cuba, Ecuador and the Oru Carnaval in Bolivia. Not to mention dazzlingly colourful costumes and dance lessons. Though smaller than unusual, Saturday’s event will include a colourful programme of performances to keep the Carnaval Del Pueblo legacy going strong for another year, running all day from 12-8pm. ‘Que legal!’ (How nice.)

Entry is £3, but for more info visit www.carnavaldelpueblo.com

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Somewhere You Should Go… the London Latin Music Festival

Lucy Palmer — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:00:09 +0000

Summer is coming and things are starting to heat up (although with the British weather it might be due to our heating being turned up so high…)

La Linea is nearly in London and every April, the Latin music festival takes over various venues in central London to bring the best of contemporary Latin music to our city.

For those not hip to Latin music, the festival presents the perfect opportunity to learn more about it. Brazilian singer-songwriter Ceu is definitely worth checking out, and as the biggest-selling Latin recording artist in the UK, her music combines dub, samba and electronic and she will soon be crossing over into more mainstream music so head to Koko to check her out.

Also the London Lucumi Choir sing songs from the living tradition of Santeria music (also known as Lucumi) brought to Cuba from West Africa. Playing at Rich Mix, their performance also features a screening of “Matanzas: Growing into Music” exploring through music and dance the preservation and renovation of cultural traditions in Cuba today.

While London has a great selection of indie bands and urban nights, La Linea is a chance to inject some new music into your summer playlists. Visit www.comono.co.uk/la-linea for further info. (Words: Lucy Palmer)

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