Honda of America Mfg., Inc. (HAM) served as the presenting sponsor of the Columbus, Ohio’s Festival Latino, the largest Latino festival in the state of Ohio.

The festival showcases the arts along with the culture and diversity of Latin traditions. It attracts more than 125,000 visitors annually. Most recently, Festival Latino was recognized by Experience Columbus for its outstanding contribution to the Central Ohio community.

Honda has been the presenting sponsor of the festival since 2012, providing more than $300,000 in funding for the event.

The two-day festival took place August 12-13, with more than 22 associates and their family members supporting Honda at the festival tent. Along with HAM associates, members of L-DIA (Latino Dreams in Action), a Business Resource Group from Honda R&D Americas Inc., also supported the event.

“It was a great experience,” said Jesus Duenas Jr., equipment service team leader at the Anna Engine Plant in Ohio, who attended the event. “The event reminded me of the local festivities in my hometown in Mexico.  I really enjoyed being in the Honda booth and greeting the people who visited our display in Spanish.”

L-DIA had volunteers working the Honda booth giving out goodies and talking about Honda to those in attendance.

Festival Latino’s mission is to provide the community with an opportunity to experience traditional and contemporary Latin American culture through the presentation of the performing and visual arts, educational workshops and authentic cuisine. Festival Latino is the largest Hispanic/Latino event in Ohio, and attracts a multicultural audience from throughout Ohio and the surrounding states.