BUFFALO, N.Y. (WKBW) — The Buffalo Central Terminal hosted Latin Night as part of its Circle Thursdays Summer Concert Series, bringing free live music, local vendors, and community fellowship to Western New York.
Billboard Latin artist La Cassandra and the Joey Gonzalez Collective performed at the event, drawing neighbors out to dance, eat, play games and connect under clear skies.
Vanessa Sanabria, who was attending her first Circle Thursday, said the event was a meaningful opportunity for cultural exchange.
"I think that it's awesome it gives us the opportunity to share our culture with everybody in Buffalo and bring people together there's nothing like Latin music, American music, whatever kind of music just to bring people together to be happy. It's awesome to see good things going on in Buffalo, so I think it's very important to have this," Sanabria said.
Emani Burgos, also attending for the first time, said the diversity on display made the experience stand out.
"If you look around, there's all sorts of cultures around you and it's good to see, especially considering the world we live in now. If music can bring us together, great. If food can bring us together, great. If we can bring us together, even better. So it's an experience that I think everybody should take advantage of at least once," Burgos said.
Roxanne Young, a returning attendee, said the series has become a regular part of her summers.
"Oh, I love music. It is a wonderful event. I've been coming here for the past 2 years. It's a great way to see different local artists, some of the national artists that they bring in, to see different people, and then also celebrate different cultures," Young said.
Local vendors were also on hand throughout the evening. Jacqueline Croom, owner of Auntie's Breaking Bread Everywhere, described her menu for the night.
"Oxtails we have fish, tidbits, haddock. We got jerk chicken, macaroni and cheese. We have beans and rice. We have yams and we also have green beans," Croom said.
Representatives from Buffalo Street Trees also used the event to connect with the community about urban greening efforts.
"We're with Buffalo Street Trees. It's an initiative to try to get more trees, in our city, especially in priority areas such as the East Side," Wema Kipoino and Ehler Htoo said.
Memorial Circle hosts the Circle Thursdays Summer Concert Series every Thursday from 5 to 8 p.m. Vendors are expected to be present each week. The concert series is part of ongoing efforts to revitalize the Buffalo Central Terminal campus, with more free public events planned to continue welcoming the community to the space.
