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Colorful costumes, vibrant music, spicy food and tricked-out low riders.
The initial Hispanic Heritage Parade rolled up Rio Grande Street at The Gateway mall Saturday with a lot of spirit and plenty of big smiles.
The event was a chance for all Latinos in Utah to show cultural pride and support for the immigrant community. But it also was aimed at getting as many people as possible enrolled in some type of health-care program.
The festivities were sponsored by Take Care Utah, a nonprofit organization dedicated to the health and well-being of Utahns.
Although there has been significant progress in increasing access to care for Utahns, there still are thousands who lack health coverage, particularly within the Hispanic community, according to the organization's director, Randall Serr, leaving Utah with the highest percentage of uninsured Hispanic children.
Saturday, hundreds gathered for the parade and festivities that followed, including dance and musical performances and, of course, ethnic food.
La Barra Real, a percussion group dedicated to boosting Real Salt Lake, was on hand with drums and cheers to kick things off.
One of its leaders, George Mendoza, said the festival was "awesome."
"We want to be part of the state," he said. "It's about cultures. We have 22 different [Latin] countries. And we want to be part of America."
Gabby Lattuf is from Venezuela, where her family is suffering from lack of food and medical care amid social upheaval.
"We came today to protest the situation in Venezuela," she said. "We want to show the world what is happening in Venezuela."
A group wearing "Human Being Human Rights" T-shirts marched in the parade, as well.
Their mission is to find migrants who left South and Central America for the United States and disappeared.
"We are here today to represent social inclusion, pluralism and a world for everyone," said the group's director, Eduardo Rodriguez.
Isaglis Rivera was dressed in a bright, eye-catching costume called the Princess of Cusco. She was among a group of Peruvian women with an organization called Una-Mano Amiga that is affiliated with the University of Utah and Salt Lake Community College. It is a multi-generational mentoring program aimed at keeping students in college with help from scholarships and other resources, explained Luz Gamarra.
"We are here to show students at the university and Salt Lake Community College that we are here to help," she said.
A colorfully dressed dance troupe was warming up for a performance after the parade. They are affiliated with the Weber State University Multi-cultural Center, said adviser Monica Rodriguez.
"We empower our students to be leaders in the community," she said. "We stress community service and leadership."
September is National Hispanic Heritage Month. Saturday's festivities hopefully will lead to a greater awareness of health-care options, Serr said.
Take Care Utah is a statewide network of nonprofits that in the last three years has helped some 316,000 Utahns access affordable health care, he said.