The 8th Latin American Festival 2016

Exhilarating! Sensational! Exciting! are many of the expressions to describe the carnival like atmosphere of bbpark as the vibrant and colourful 8th Latin American Festival returned to bbpark, Bukit Bintang on Sunday, 22 May 2016.

The 8th Latin American Festival is an annual affair jointly organized by the Group of Latin American and Caribbean Countries (GRULAC) in Malaysia, in collaboration with Plaza Low Yat, bbpark, Federal Hotels International, The Federal Kuala Lumpur, Hotel Capitol Kuala Lumpur and the nine Latin American embassies namely Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela.  The event was supported by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur) and Latin Ladies Association of Malaysia.

The 8th Latin American Festival was officially launched by Executive Director of the Planning Department of City Hall Kuala Lumpur (DBKL), Ybhg Datuk Hj Mohd Najib bin Hj Mohd together with Mr. Low Gee Teong, Managing Director of Low Yat Group, together with the Ambassadors of the nine Latin American and Caribbean Embassies in Malaysia namely Argentina, Brazil, Columbia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela and the General Manager of Plaza Low Yat, Mr Albert Khoo and Mdm. Alicia Rijnberg of the Latin Ladies Association of Malaysia.

Mr Albert Khoo, General Manager of Plaza Low Yat and bbpark said “I am honoured that the Latin American Embassies have chosen bbpark once again for the 8th Latin American Festival for the 6th consecutive year at bbpark.  Together, Dewan Bandaraya Kuala Lumpur (City Hall Kuala Lumpur), Plaza Low Yat, the Federal Hotels International (FHI) Group of Hotels namely The Federal Kuala Lumpur and Hotel Capitol Kuala Lumpur are proud to collaborate with all the 9 Latin American Embassies namely Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Cuba, Ecuador, Mexico, Peru, Uruguay and Venezuela in making this 8th Latin American Festival a massive success.  The 8th Latin American Festival 2016 has a lot to offer with an array of cultural extravaganza; ranging from music, food, art, craft, dance to costumes.  Bukit Bintang has always been the main tourist hotspot in Kuala Lumpur.  BB Park presents the colourful diversity of our rich Malaysian culture, food, arts and heritage to the world, and is also the cultural exchange point where the world can come together to share its many different cultures and heritage with the local and expatriate community as well as tourists.  The 8th Latin American Festival at BB Park is a living and colorful testament of BB Park’s celebration of life, art, food and culture. BB Park plays host to the annual Latin American Festival and promises all the thrills in its 8th annual outing, making Bukit Bintang Central even livelier!  It is a celebration of cultures that is filled with merry and flair!  BB Park has now become a place where tourists and KLites alike drop by to enjoy music, cultural dance, live band as well as to wine and dine or chill out in the many food and beverage outlets, and it has evolved into a hub where contemporary lifestyle and culture meet.  We would like to thank our tenants from Plaza Low Yat for contributing Prizes to raise funds for Charity which include amongst others such as BenQ T3 Smartphone from Jayacom, Oppo Neo 5 Smartphone; Joi Phone 4 from SNS Network; and Morgan Watch from Accurate Time”.

Ms Ooi Lee Ping, Director of Group Marketing, Regional Sales & Business Development and Operations of Federal Hotels International said “We are pleased to join the Group of Latin American Embassies in Malaysia to once again celebrate the 8th Latin American Festival as this is a great opportunity for all to experience the rich culture of Latin America, handmade arts & crafts, traditional music & dance, as well as have a delicious taste of Latin American flavors of each of these vibrant Latin American Countries.  We are honour to have the presence of His Royal Highness Prince Tunku Imran, President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia to witness the launch of the 8th Latin American Festival as one of the Latin American countries, Brazil plays host to the forthcoming Summer Olympics which will be held in Rio de Janeiro Brazil from 5 August to 21 August 2016.  Malaysia is blessed with diverse culture.  The promotion of various festivities and cultural element will further boost tourism and in this spirit, the 8th Latin American at BB Park will spice up Bukit Bintang and KL City once again with its magical display of vibrant colors and pulsating vibes of Latin American music and rhythms, food, dances be it Salsa, Samba or Tango, art & craft as well as handicraft from the continent.  This is a great opportunity for Malaysians to experience the rich culture and get an authentic taste of Latin American cuisine whilst at the same time spreading a little spirit of cheer and kindness as proceeds from this Latin American festival will be channeled to Charity namely KIRTARSH, the home for underprivileged and special children.  We are most happy to work in strategic partnership this meaningful incredibly rewarding annual Charity event, which is one of our FHI Group’s continuous Sharing & Caring Community Commitments.”

While the Plaza Low Yat boulevard street buzzed with people cheering and dancing, bbpark; a place to celebrate life and culture; was also bustling with a constant flow of human traffic where the public were having a gastronomic experience with the wide array of delicacies, set up at booths by the participating Latin American and Caribbean countries. Some of the notable food include the Argentinean Beef Empanadas, Brazillian Conxinhas, Mexican Fried Quesadillas, Cuban coconut pastries, Columbian coffee and the menu list goes on. Arts and handicrafts were also featured at the festival.  The festival was also attended by several prominent individuals, namely His Royal Highness Tunku Imran Tuan Ja’afar, President of the Olympic Council of Malaysia, and YBhg Dato Low Beng Choo, Secretary General of the Olympic Council of Malaysia.  The 8th Latin American Festival is taking on the flavor of Rio to mark the 2016 Olympics as one of the Latin American Countries, Brazil plays host to the 2016 Olympics in August.   Present at the festival also includes His Royal Highness, YAM Tunku Naquiyuddin.

Food, beverages, music, dance and laughter filled the entire premise of bbpark and Boulevard Street the throughout the day.   Lucky winners walked away with attractive lucky draw prizes sponsored by Accurate Time, Brava Cheese, Fresca, IMPSA, Juan Valdez Café, Jayacom, La Mexicana, Low Yat Group, OPPO, SNS Network, Ice Watch, Sebastian’s Venezuelan Food & Bar and many more. The Grand Prize, an air ticket to Amsterdam, was sponsored by KLM Royal Dutch Airlines.