National Hispanic Heritage Month

 The Waukegan Park District will celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month with several programs and events from Friday, September 15, 2023 to Sunday, October 15, 2023. The special programming will honor the Latino community and their contributions to arts, culture, and history. 

Program/EventDateTimeLocationFeeRegistration
Family Lotería NightFriday, September 15, 20236pm to 7pmBelvidere Recreation CenterFreePast Event
Family Lotería NightFriday, September 22, 20236pm to 7pmBelvidere Recreation CenterFreePast Event
Zumba Fitness NightMonday, September 25, 20236pm to 7pmField House Sports, Fitness & Aquatics CenterFreePast Event
Parents’ Night OutFriday, September 29, 20235:30pm to 9pmField House Sports, Fitness & Aquatics CenterFree/$15Register Here
Family Movie NightFriday, September 29, 20236pm to 8pmBelvidere Recreation Center$7/$9Register Here
Young People’s Family ConcertSunday, October 1, 20234pm to 6pmWaukegan High School – Brookside CampusVariesPurchase Tickets Here
Fall Festival and Family SocialFriday, October 6, 20235:30pm to 7pmAdaptive Recreation CenterFree
Register Here
Sugar Skull WorkshopSaturday, October 7, 202310am to 12pmJack Benny Center for the ArtsFreeRegister Here
Sugar Skull WorkshopSaturday, October 14, 202310am to 12pmJack Benny Center for the ArtsFreeRegister Here

According to the National Archives, National Hispanic Heritage Month began as “Hispanic Heritage Week” under President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1968 and expanded to “Hispanic Heritage Month” under President Ronald Reagan when it was enacted into law in 1988. September 15 is the start of Hispanic Heritage Month because it is the independence day for multiple Latin American countries, including Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua. Mexico’s independence day is on September 16 and Chile’s independence day is on September 18.