Alabama’s largest celebration of Hispanic culture and heritage returns to Birmingham’s Linn Park Saturday, Sept. 24 from noon to 8 p.m. for another year packed with the best in Hispanic entertainment surrounding art, music, food and dance. This year’s theme is !Somos Familia! (We are family!) Entertainers and artists include Los Norteños de Ojinaga, Adolescentes Orquesta and Los Nuevos Relampagos. Fiesta attendees will enjoy authentic Hispanic and Latin cuisine from Alabama’s most popular food vendors. Fiesta is also bringing back a favorite component, Lucha Libre, which will feature the Blue Demon from Mexico, Iguana from Guatemala, Mexican professional wrestling acts and children’s activities. Fiesta will award $20,000 in scholarships to celebrate the event’s 20th anniversary. With the goal of educating the public about the many different Hispanic countries and their cultures, Fiesta attendees will journey through representations of 20 countries and explore sponsored villages, including the family village, cultural village, community village and health and wellness village. Alabama Power is supporting the event. Advance tickets are $12 online and $15 at the gate, and children ages 12 and younger are admitted free. Linn Park is at 710 20th St. N.

El Olmeca presents the CulturA Festival, a celebration of Hispanic culture, food and music in Huntsville at the Orion Amphitheater Sunday, Sept. 25 at noon. The event will feature a diverse selection of food trucks serving the cuisine of Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico and Nicaragua. Musical performances include the Rocket City Latin Band and Tomas Gorrio from Peruvian Coin. There will be a panel discussion with Latin American-owned businesses and community leaders. Visit the website for more details. For more information, email [email protected] or call 256-964-9556. Admission to the festival is free. The venue is at 701 Amphitheater Drive.

Saint George 40th annual Middle Eastern Food Festival celebration

Thousands are expected to attend the Saint George Middle Eastern Food Festival Sept. 22-24. Explore food, dance and music through a variety of cultural-related activities. The menu includes homemade Middle Eastern foods such as baked kibbee, stuffed grape leaves, falafel, meat pies, spinach pies and hummus. The sweets booth will have a variety of Middle Eastern pastries such as mamoul, hareeseh, kaak and baklava. Homemade zalabieh (Arabic doughnuts), booza (Arabic ice cream) and Arabic coffee will be available. Click here for the menu. The hours of operation for dine-in and takeout are 10:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. and the drive-through hours are 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Pickup orders can be placed online at saintgeorgeonline.org. Delivery will be available for orders over $100.

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Church tours will be available Thursday through Saturday. Vendors will feature hand-carved olive wood from the Holy Land, Byzantine icons and literature, glass jewelry made from the church’s original stained glass and Saint George Church’s cookbook, “Our Favorite Recipes.” Entertainment will be available throughout the weekend, including performances from a live band as well as cultural dancing from the kids of the parish. Follow this link to learn more about the Saint George Melkite Greek Catholic Church at 425 16th Ave. S. in Birmingham.

Outdoor enthusiasts will enjoy free admission, including parking fees, to Alabama State Parks Saturday, Sept. 24 on National Public Lands Day. There will be no cost for activities like hiking and mountain biking. Fees for park amenities such as canoe rentals and cave tours will still apply. Established in 1994, National Public Lands Day celebrates the importance of public lands like Alabama State Parks, wildlife management areas and Forever Wild Land Trust tracts. The day also promotes the role volunteers play in supporting access to outdoor recreation. Plan a visit to an Alabama State Park on National Public Lands Day at alapark.com.

Take part in the Renew Our Rivers (ROR) cleanup on Smith Lake (Winston County) Sept.22-23 and Village Creek Sept. 23-24. For information about the Smith Lake (Winston County) cleanup, contact Jim Eason at [email protected] . For information about the Village Creek cleanup, contact Yohance Owens at 205-798-0087. Cleanup supplies will be provided. ROR is a national-award-winning campaign originated by Alabama Power in 2000 that has since grown into community cleanups on rivers, lakes and creeks across four Southeastern states. Since its start, thousands of volunteers have removed more than 16 million pounds of trash and debris from waterways. Dates are subject to change. For the complete ROR schedule, visit shorelines.com.

Homestead Hollow Arts & Crafts Fall Festival 

Springville is known for good food and entertainment at its annual fall arts and crafts festival. Festivalgoers will enjoy arts and crafts, demonstrations of blacksmithing, soapmaking, a working beehive, wagon rides, bungee jump, petting zoo and children’s play area. Festival food includes fried pies, funnel cakes, roasted corn, ribbon fries, kettle corn, fresh lemonade, homemade fudge and barbecue. The festival will be Sept. 23-25 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Visit the website for ticket information. Homestead Hollow is at 1161 Murphrees Valley Road.

For more shows, visit redmountainentertainment.

Mary J. Blige in concert with Ella Mai and Queen Naija

Mary J. Blige fans will enjoy the “Good Morning Gorgeous Tour” Wednesday, Sept. 28 at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex. Blige is a Grammy Award-winner, singer, songwriter, actress, producer and philanthropist. She is known for songs like “Be Without You,” “No More Drama” and “Family Affair.” Blige also portrays Monét Tejada in the hit show “Power Book II: Ghost,” a new television series inspired by the original show, “Power.” To learn more about Blige’s music career and achievements, visit maryjblige.com. Performances also include Ella Mai and Queen Naija. Click here for tickets.

Cowboys from across the country are coming back to Talladega Superspeedway for the second consecutive year to entertain fans with “Ride The Lightning” Friday, Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. during the track’s NASCAR Playoffs Tripleheader Weekend. “Ride The Lightning” will feature a bull riding competition the night before the Sparks 300 NASCAR Xfinity Series race and the Chevy Silverado 250 NASCAR Camping World Series event prior to culminating with the Sunday YellaWood 500 for the NASCAR Cup Series. To learn more, visit the Lightning Livestock website or follow along on Facebook and Instagram. Go here for tickets or call 1-877-Go2-DEGA.

Symphony 30 Picnic in the Park

Join the Alabama Symphony Orchestra (ASO) for one of Birmingham’s favorite fall family events Sunday, Sept. 25 at 4 p.m. ASO will perform a selection of music for the entire family. During the concert, kids will enjoy crafts and other activities in the “kidzone.” The picnic will include a buffet by Urban Cookhouse with wine, beer, water and tea. The proceeds will support ASO’s outreach missions in communities. Tickets are $25 for adults and $15 for children. Family passes and sponsorship opportunities are available. Purchase tickets here. The venue is the Birmingham Botanical Gardens.

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Enjoy Fiesta in Birmingham on Saturday, Sept. 24, and Mobile Latin Fest Oct. 14.

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