RiverEdge Park, in partnership with the City of Aurora’s Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board and the City of Aurora, are excited to announce that the 12th annual Fiestas Patrias Festival will take place on Saturday and Sunday, September 7 and 8 at RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway, in downtown Aurora.
The event, which raised over $200,000 in scholarship funds for Hispanic, college-bound Aurora residents in 2023, is returning in grand fashion, attracting Latin Grammy Award-winning bands El Banda Límon (left) and Aurora’s own Alacranes Musical as headliners.
Gates open on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. Opening music acts include TikTok sensation Janeth Valenzuela at 5 p.m. and Regional Mexican icon José Manuel Figueroa at 7 p.m. El Banda Límon takes the stage at 9 p.m.
Janeth Valenzuela (left) and José Manuel Figueroa
Gates open at 3 p.m. on Sunday, and the live music kicks off with Grammy Award winner Lupillo Rivera at 4 p.m., noted Mexican regional group Liberación at 6 p.m., the famous El Grito chant at 7:45 p.m. and Aurora’s own Alacranes Musical, Latin Grammy winner in 2009, at 8:30 p.m.
Lupillo Rivera (left) and Liberación
Fiestas Patrias will also feature some of the area’s finest food vendors, the traditional Parade of Nations, and a ceremony to honor scholarship recipients from the past year.
Tickets are on sale now. On Saturday, tickets will cost $20 for adults and $10 for children 11 years old and under. Sunday tickets are $20 for adults and $5 for children 11 years old and under. Children 2 and under are free.
Fiestas Patrias fans are highly encouraged to purchase tickets in advance at RiverEdgeAurora.com, while supplies last. Due to popular demand, there is no guarantee that tickets will be available for purchase at the event.
Proceeds from Fiestas Patrias will go towards funding scholarships that assist college-bound students of Hispanic descent who reside in Aurora. Scholarships are administered through the Community Foundation of the Fox River Valley.
For more information, including a complete schedule of events, full list of performers, sponsorship opportunities, festival offerings, parking instructions, and venue rules and regulations, visit RiverEdgeAurora.com.
Click here or above to download b-roll video clips of last year's 2023 Fiestas Patrias Festival, courtesy City of Aurora.
Photos provided by the City of Aurora
How to rock your RiverEdge Park experience
RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway in downtown Aurora, is a general admission venue. Bag chairs are recommended. Bag chairs and blankets are allowed on lawn areas. Standing room only next to the stage.
RiverEdge Park is located right across the street from Metra’s Aurora Transportation Center. Drivers can find paid parking in the nearby Metra lot, free parking in downtown Aurora’s Lot W, 309 N. River St., at the base of the new pedestrian bridge, on the west side of the Fox River, and more public and private lots around the park and in downtown Aurora.
Concessions include a diverse menu and bar with domestic and craft beers, wine, sodas, bottled water and more. Local food trucks also ring the back lawn. Outside food is welcome. No alcohol or other outside beverages are allowed, with the exception of two sealed bottles of unflavored water per person. Visit the Park’s Plan Your Visit page for more information, directions, parking options and outside food policies.
Events at RiverEdge Park take place rain or shine, unless conditions endanger the safety of artists and the public. For the latest weather updates, follow @RiverEdgeAurora on Facebook and Instagram, or call the RiverEdge Park Weather Line, (630) 723-2480, or text REPARK to 888777.
For tickets and information, visit RiverEdgeAurora.com or call (630) 896-6666.
