Hispanic Heritage Month Celebration 2026

The Austin City Council Latino Caucus is hosting a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center on Thursday, October 1, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM. It's a party built around food, drinks, and music, and the evening centers on honoring two people who've put in years of work for the city: Juan Villa and Martha Cotera. The Caucus is recognizing them for their service and dedication to the community, so if you know either of them, this is a good night to show up and cheer them on.

The celebration falls right in the middle of Hispanic Heritage Month, and the Caucus frames the month as a time to celebrate the city's diverse communities. That's the spirit they're bringing to the night — the food, drinks, and music are there to set the scene while the focus stays on the people being honored. It's a community-first kind of evening, more about the people than the program.

The venue itself fits the occasion. The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center is dedicated to the preservation, creation, presentation, and promotion of the cultural arts of Mexican Americans and Latino cultures, so it's a natural spot for a night like this. If you haven't spent much time there, it's a good chance to see what they do.

One practical thing to keep in mind: parking is limited at the center, so they're encouraging people to use public transportation, rideshare, or carpool. The celebration runs from 5:30 to 7:30 PM on Thursday, October 1, at 600 River Street in downtown Austin.