Oxnard, CA --Oxnard Salsa Festival is one of Oxnard's top events of the
year, second only to the Strawberry Festival. Each and every year the
Salsa Festival promises to be the summer’s HOTTEST event with two days
of spicy foods and sizzling entertainment at Plaza Park, Fifth & B Streets in downtown Oxnard. The 16th
Annual Festival is presented by the Oxnard Downtowners and
features top salsa bands, non-stop salsa dancing, vendor marketplace
shopping, Kids Korner, Salsa Tasting Tent, international foods, a salsa
recipe contest, and the “Salsa with our Local Stars” Dance Contest &
Charity Fundraiser. This award-winning Festival is held from 11 a.m. to
7 p.m. daily. Admission and parking are Free. Pets and coolers are not
permitted. For Festival info call (805) 247-0197 or oxnardsalsafestival.com.
Saturday
Kicking off the festivities on
Saturday at 111:00 a.m. is a live band, with musicians and music going
all afternoon on the main stage.
Sunday
On Sunday, salsa hits hard and
never stops.
The featured salseros (dance instructors) - all from Ventura County,
plus “Salsa
with our Local Stars”; will assist in raising more than $10,000 for
local charities with this year’s contest.
At the Oxnard Salsa Festival, salsa dancing (and watching people dance)
is all part of the fun. From the first beat of the conga on Saturday
morning to the last note on Sunday night, the large dance floor is
filled with dancers of all ages and ability.
Both Days
With all this dancing, Festival
goers will be able to easily satisfy their hunger and thirst with an
array of spicy foods, sweet treats, and cool frosty drinks. One of the
most popular culinary attractions at the Oxnard Festival is the Salsa
Tasting Tent, where some 500 gallons of specialty salsas will be dished
up by local restaurants, Mexican markets, and gourmet salsa vendors.
Whether your preference is for fresh & fruity, hot & smoky, sweet &
spicy – or eye-watering extreme blends that defy description – all
flavors imaginable are available under one roof in what could very well
be Ventura County’s “biggest salsa bar!”
The fun doesn’t stop with the salsa, though. Shopping is another
highlight of the event with an eclectic mix of merchants throughout
Plaza Park and on the streets of downtown Oxnard. The 2008 blend
includes an array of handmade jewelry, one-of-a-kind fashion wear and
accessories, hand-thrown pottery, garden art, children’s boutique items,
home décor, and imported clothing and handicrafts from Africa, Central
and South America. To commemorate their “hot” time at the Oxnard Salsa
Festival, visitors can stop by the Festival’s souvenir booth where
they’ll find a variety of official Festival souvenirs including
collectible t-shirts, four flavor flavors of salsa, shot glasses, and –
new this year – Oxnard Salsa Festival Frisbees and magnets.
The Salsa Festival is Oxnard’s largest free community event, attracting
an estimated 40,000 to 45,000 people to downtown every July. Festival
admission is free thanks to the generosity of the following sponsors and
partners. In 2008 the partners and sponsors were: El Habañero Sponsor: Time Warner Cable; Sizzling Sponsors:
Gold Coast Broadcasting, Ventura County Star; Hot! Hot! Hot! Sponsors:
Bud Light, Gills Onions, Mission Foods, Tresierras Supermarkets Spicy
Sponsors: Alert Real Estate Services, Art & Music Factory, Cabo Seafood
Grill & Cantina, City of Oxnard, Pepsi Bottling Group, Oxnard Harbor
District, Road Runner Sports, Ruby’s Café & Night Club, Shell Vacations
Club, Wells Fargo Home Mortgage, Working Law Group, XL5 Productions;
Zesty Sponsors: Amtrak, Anza Event Rentals, Courtyard by Marriott
Oxnard, CSUCI, First California Bank, H & R Block, Infinity Insurance,
Kaiser Permanente, Kalani Family Chiropractic, Kitchen Craft Cookware,
Mehle Printing, Oxnard Convention & Visitor Bureau, Rabobank, Starbucks,
Verizon Wireless and Wescom Credit Union.
Out of town Festival goers can ride Amtrak’s Pacific Surfliner to
Oxnard; the train station is conveniently located just three short
blocks from the Salsa Festival site. For hotel and visitor information,
contact the Oxnard Convention & Visitors Bureau at 800-2-Oxnard or visitoxnard.com.
There are
still hotel rooms as of posting of this event: Affordable hotel rooms
include
Best Western,
Hampton Inn and
Casa Sirena on the waterfront. Our absolute favorite is
Embassy Suites Mandalay Beach, but
Four Points by Sheraton (in Ventura).
