Phi Iota Alpha Fraternity, Inc. along with Albany Mayor Gerald D. Jennings, The City of Albany, The Albany Department of Department of Housing and Community Development, WCWN The Capital Region's CW, Wellcare, State of the Arts - NYSCA, Verizon Wireless, Price Chopper, Latino NY Magazine, LaRadio.net, are proud sponsors of the 12^th Annual Albany LatinFest and Parade.

The Albany Latin Festival Association (ALFA), in collaboration with Albany's Mayor Gerald D. Jennings & The City of Albany will once again produce the premier Hispanic festival in upstate New York. For more than a decade, ALFA's mission of enhancing an appreciation for cultural diversity through the presentation of Hispanic contributions to the performing arts has been successfully achieved through production of Albany LatinFest. The Albany LatinFest is a free, annual, family-oriented festival that attracts an ethnically diverse, but primarily Hispanic audience of approximately 10,000 with major Latino musical artists, food, crafts, and children's activities.

The LatinFest and Parade will take place on:

Saturday August 25, 2007
11:00 am  to 6:00 pm
Washington Park, Albany.

Entertainment includes:

12:30 pm  Maña

2:30 - 4:00 - Brenda K. Starr

Brenda K. Starr is a Native New Yorker who had her start in Dance and Club Music throughout the 80's and 90's. In a wise decision, Starr learned Spanish in order to rejuvenate her career, instead of chasing trends of the English language pop music market.

This time as mostly a Salsa/Tropical and Latin Pop artist, she successfully released her cover of Herida, which peaked at #16 on the Latin Pop Airplay and at #1 on the Latin Tropical/Salsa Airplay chart, her music career became successful again.

From then, she released a string of popular, successful albums with many chart hits. The lead single from her seventh album, Atrevete a Olvidarme, titled, "Tu Eres" earned her a nomination by the Billboard Latin Music Awards in 2006.

4:30 - 6:00  Choco Orta

A singer and actress, she is known for her use of  Afro-Caribbean percussion instruments and rhythms. Choco's forte is as a Sonera which entails vocal improvisation. She has traveled throughout the world including France, Colombia and Cuba to perform.

She has released the albums Reina del Sabor and Sentimiento y Sabor. She has also appeared in the films Bala perdida (2003), Assassins (1995), and A Show of Force (1990).

The Albany LATINFEST will be presented rain or shine.  The rain site will be under the I-90/I-787 Interchange at the end of the Corning Preserve.

Since 1931, Phi Iota Alpha has set precedents for Latino greek leadership in the global community. Through the past 75 years, Phi Iota Alpha has cultivated and inspired Latino men nationwide to become leaders of their communities across Latin America and the United States. Open to all men, this distinguished brotherhood includes many professionals and former presidents of Latin American countries. Today Phi Iota Alpha, the Oldest Latino Fraternity in existence, continues to lead as the preeminent Latino fraternal organization with chapters throughout the United States.

ALFA is a non-profit organization whose mission is to present the rich musical contributions of the Hispanic culture in an effort to expand the appreciation for multi cultural diversity in the Capital District.  As the premier Hispanic cultural festival event in the Capital District, the Albany LATINFEST event has had one of the largest attendance rates of any Hispanic festival in upstate New York.  The Albany LATINFEST features local and international Hispanic artists, as well as food and craft vendors representative of the diverse Hispanic cultures from across the state.