The annual celebration of Mexican arts and culture has moved indoors to the Abundant Life Church, 157 Park Central Square located at the northeast corner of the Square, Friday, May 3 from 5:45-9:30 p.m. Admission is free.

ArtsFiesta! features live authentic mariachi music and traditional Mexican dancing. Mariachi Viva Xalisco, fromSpringfield’s Mexican sister city of Tlaquepaque, Jaliscio, will perform live music with special guests Paco Padilla and Sheila Rios. Numerous folkloric dance will be performed by Grupo Latino Americano, Grupo Libertad and Grupo Monett. Bi-lingual storytelling for children and a display of original art from Tlaquepaque will be at the Park Central Branch Library.

ArtsFiesta! kicks off a weekend of center-city events that also includes the First Friday Art Walk downtown and the 33rd annual Artsfest on Historic Walnut Street.

No lawnchairs are needed inside Abundant Life Church. Free parking is readily available at the College Station and Heer’s car parks just west of the Square, public lots at Olive and Boonville and elsewhere downtown.

Great Southern Bank is this year’s presenting sponsor for ArtsFiesta! Bi-lingual storytelling is made possible thanks to support from Dr. Michael Hanks. Other sponsors include Nippes & Associates, the Downtown Springfield Community Improvement District, Mother’s Brewing Co., and the City of Tlaquepaque.

Springfield Sister Cities Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping people of the City of Springfield and people of similar cities in foreign nations acquire a consciousness of each other and to understand one another as individuals, as members of their community, and as part of our global community.

For more information on other upcoming SSCA events, follow SSCA on Twitter or ‘like’ the page at Facebook.com/SpringfieldSisterCities.

For more information on ArtsFiesta! contact Cindy Jobe, Sister Cities Coordinator, (417) 864-1341.