Festival Peruano en Utah

This little festival is a fun way to spend a Friday or Saturday night in mid-July.

What You'll Need

sunscreen (depending on what time of day you attend)

snack foods for the little ones

cash (optional)

Getting Ready

The only prep work needed for this festival is getting a bit of cash for dinner, treats, and the activities at some of the booths.

Participating

There's plenty of room in the park, and the crowds aren't too big. We showed up on Saturday afternoon (about 4:00 p.m.) and found parking at the elementary school across from the park.

There are several choices for food, and it is good, but you'll need those snacks for the less adventurous eaters in the family. One of our boys tried some of the food we bought (I'd tell you what it was called, but I have no idea). The other didn't.

The entertainment includes mostly Peruvian song and dance, but there were a couple dances that featured other Central and South American cultures.

My Favorite Part

4-year old: "I liked nothing."

6-year old: "I liked the racing game."

Mom: "The food!"

Dad: "I enjoy watching how groups of people from different cultures interact with each other. In some ways the interactions are very distinct, and it is fun to see the differences."

Extras

Our 6-year old liked the fact that someone had a booth with a video game system and a TV. We let him watch for a couple minutes while Mom talked to someone she ran into. As you can tell from the picture above, he also liked the food.

Our 4-year old was annoyed at his parents when we asked him what his favorite part was. He really wanted to play in the bouncy house, but his parents spent the entire budget trying the different foods that were available, so we didn't have the $1 for a 10-minute excursion in the bouncy house. Both boys had a good time playing around, and of course they enjoyed the candy and other giveaways they got at the booths.
The festival starts Friday evening, and then picks back up mid-day Saturday and runs through Saturday evening. That gives you two days to carve out some time to participate. You can find more information on their web site, http://www.utahperufestival.com/.

One of the other festival-goers told us that there are several Peruvian Festivals that occur throughout the summer. We did a little searching and found another coming up on July 28, 2012 at the Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church in Salt Lake City (279 S 300 W). You can learn more by searching for "Peru" on http://www.nowplayingutah.com/.