With a lineup of DJs spinning everything from Latin House to Reggaeton, Dembow, and Baile Funk, and vendors serving mouth-watering food and showcasing art, the Fiesta House: Carne Asada Cookout at El Club brought generations together on the dance floor and around the grill on Saturday, August 2nd.
“This is my love letter to the city of Detroit,” said event organizer and DJ Emmanuel Juarez, also known as SWDEJAY. “Fiesta House is more than just a party, it’s a cultural movement honoring our roots.”
Juarez, who grew up in Southwest Detroit, started Fiesta House as a platform to showcase his love for music, but it quickly became something bigger. For Juarez, Fiesta House is about creating the kind of space he always wished existed growing up. “There weren’t many places where our sound, our energy, and our culture were fully represented,” he explained. “Not just mainstream Latin music, but the underground stuff, House, perreo, edits, remixes, techno. I wanted to make a space where we could just be ourselves.”
He explained that hosting the event in Southwest Detroit was personal and rooted in his upbringing in the city. “Because Southwest is home,” Juarez said. “It’s where Black, Brown, Chicano, Latinx, and immigrant culture all collide. It’s already full of rhythm and sabor. What started as a showcase of our culture to the rest of the city is now a movement being recognized globally, but it will always be rooted here.”
He also used the event to spotlight local talent and family-owned businesses. “Part of my platform was for my mother to cook and sell her food, Mamás Kitchen, and for my sister, Dayana Juarez, a visual artist, to showcase her art.”
One of the event’s food vendors, Annette Hernández, was working the grill while her mother-in-law, the head of Mamás Kitchen, made her way from another event across town.
“These types of events always bring us together again, the music, the food, and seeing people we’ve known our whole lives,” Hernández said. “It’s like we’re reliving high school in a way.”
Her favorite part? “The music, definitely. My brother-in-law is a DJ here, and he started playing Latin House, something we didn’t really grow up hearing. It draws everyone in.”
Many attendees shared similar sentiments. Tania Barba, a Southwest Detroit resident, said she came because a friend invited her but quickly fell in love with the atmosphere. “There are a lot of local businesses here that want to appreciate and honor our heritage,” she said.
Barba also explained why events like this matter now more than ever. “We live in times where we can be politically or socially divided. But something like this, even if it’s just for one night, brings us together and reminds us what community is really about.”
For Christina Noyse, Fiesta House was the perfect way to end a special day. “We had our 20-year high school reunion and saw this event on social media,” she said. “So we came to check it out. The yard is beautiful, the food is amazing, and the atmosphere is so positive. I’m texting more people to come right now.”
For Juarez, Fiesta House is about more than just music and fun. “Music, food, and dance are how we connect, how we express ourselves, and how we celebrate life,” he said. “Whether we’re from here, from back home, or somewhere in between, these are the things that remind us who we are.”
He believes that in today’s climate, these cultural gatherings serve a bigger purpose. “This is resistance. This is identity. This is joy. Now more than ever, we need spaces where we can be loud, proud, and together.” “I want people to feel like they’re welcomed here, no matter where they’re from,” Juarez said. “To feel safe to dance, wear, and be who they are. I want them to leave full, from the tacos, from the energy, from the love.”
And judging by the dancing crowd and the sound of laughter over the music, Fiesta House succeeded.
Kaylee Razo is an Alumna of Detroit Cristo Rey High School and an incoming freshman at Harvard University, where she plans to concentrate in government and economics. She is an intern with Strangers No Longer and a mentor at the Michigan Youth Civil Rights Academy.
This article and photos were made possible thanks to a generous grant to EL CENTRAL Hispanic News by Press Forward, the national movement to strengthen communities by reinvigorating local news. Learn more at www.pressforward.news.
