PASCAGOULA—Since 2022, lively music and bright colors have helped kick off Hispanic Heritage Month at Pascagoula’s Beach Park.
Main Street Pascagoula and the City of Pascagoula have been organizing this event for the past four years in an effort to bring a fun, free event to the community to help celebrate the Hispanic heritage along our portion of the Gulf Coast.
Susannah Northrop, executive director of Main Street Pascagoula said this event was created as an opportunity to not only celebrate the Hispanic residents but also for other residents to learn more about the Hispanic culture.
“We have a large and diverse Hispanic community here in Pascagoula, and I have been blessed to make so many connections through this event,” Northrop said. “I’ve learned about food and culture from several different countries.”
The Beach Park overlooking the Mississippi Sound serves as a great background for the event and affords opportunities for annual growth and includes a playground and splash pad for children.
“The festival has continued to grow each year, and we are fortunate to host it at Beach Park in Pascagoula, which provides a great venue,” Northrop said. “Over the years, we’ve invested in power upgrades to accommodate more food vendors, and this year we welcomed 20 food vendors and approximately 80 art, craft, and informational vendors.”
As a special treat, all food vendors offer a variety of authentic cuisine for eventgoers to enjoy.
“This event is special to us because we know our Gulf Coast is made up of so many different people, and we recognized a gap in celebrating our Hispanic community,” she added. “Festival Hispano fills that need, and we’re excited to continue growing and improving the event for the future.”
Each year the event includes live music and performances along with the food and merchandise vendors and informational vendors providing services to the community. It is held each year in mid-September, and the Studio of Dance and Gymnastics provides colorful entertainment from its dancers.
Meredith and McKinley Hollis danced at this year’s festival adding a colorful flair. The two dancers are the daughters of Eric and Jordan Hollis, both educators in the Pascagoula-Gautier School District.
Photo credit: Jordan Hollis
“The festival gives our family the chance to enjoy incredible food, music and traditions while learning more about the diverse cultures that make up our community,” Mrs. Hollis said. It is a fun way to connect, celebrate and create lasting memories.”
The family enjoys the festival each year because it allows the parents an opportunity to learn more about the culture of the students they encounter every day and the children learn more about their classmates.
“As a teacher of special education, this festival helps me create a more inclusive classroom and connect more meaningfully with diverse backgrounds,” she added.
With memories of this year’s festival still strong, plans are already underway to make the festival even more engaging in September 2026.
