|
Aurora Fest is the city’s signature event, celebrating the colorful cultural diversity that makes Aurora “The World in a City,” with food, live performances and merchandise vendors representing countries from around the world. This free, family-friendly summer festival, sponsored by UCHealth, will be held from 3 to 10 p.m. Saturday, June 13, on the Aurora Municipal Center Great Lawn, 15151 E. Alameda Parkway.
Returning this year are some of the great, community-centered highlights that make Aurora Fest one of the most unique multicultural festivals in Colorado. That includes the festival-opening Parade of Nations during which volunteers will carry the flags of their home countries. This year, 68 countries will be represented. An expanded event footprint is making room for more international sights, sounds and flavors than ever before. There will be a curated collection of 29 food trucks and stalls offering dishes and treats ranging from Filipino lumpias to Jamaican jerk tacos to Pakistani kulfi pops.
The festival’s international marketplace will feature 58 craft and merchandise vendors showcasing goods ranging from handmade Brazilian jewelry and accessories to authentic African clothing. The festival’s two stages – the Aurora Stage and the UCHealth Stage – will host more than 20 live performances highlighting cultures from five continents. Offerings include martial arts demonstrations, cultural dances, and live music, all headlined by the return of 2025’s featured performer, a tribute to the music of Tejano music legend Selena by Aurora’s own Mayra Alejandra and her Latin Band. For the second year in a row, the Selena tribute performance will be proceeded by a Selena look-alike contest organized in parternship with Amigos de Mexico.
This year’s later start time sets the stage for a special event-capping attraction after the sun goes down. Brightflight Drone Shows, with support from the America 250 – Colorado 150 Commission, the Colorado Tourism Office, UCHealth, Tallgrass and Chevron, will be putting on a special drone show performance that will celebrate the country and state’s milestone birthdays, as well as include special animations celebrating Aurora.
Both the Aurora Public Library central branch and the Aurora History Museum will also be open on the municipal grounds, offering Aurora Fest-related programs and activities. The museum will be open from 11 a.m. until 8 p.m. with free admission all day. Visitors will have the opportunity to take a guided tour of the “Mosaic of Cultures: Aurora’s Filipino Community” exhibit directly from some of the local Filipino community members who contributed to its creation. The exhibit, created in partnership with the city’s Office of International and Immigrant Affairs, will also be the first that is available for live translation into any language through the Bloomberg Connects app.
For more, including the event schedule, map and details about parking and accessible shuttles to the event location, visit AuroraFest.org. |
