Austin CentroAmericanto Festival Brings Central American Film Music and Food to Texas This October

Image Credit: cacfest

Austin will welcome Central American voices, stories, music and dance when the 18th CentroAmericanto Festival takes place on 2 and 3 October 2026. The two-night event will be held at the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center on River Street, close to downtown Austin. It will bring together artists, film-makers, families and visitors through a programme that moves from serious documentary cinema to live music, dance, traditional food and local vendors.
The festival gives Austin travellers a different kind of October experience. It is smaller and more personal than the city’s major music events. Yet it carries a powerful cultural message. CentroAmericanto puts Central American creativity at the centre of the stage. It shows the music, memories and community life of countries often grouped together but rarely given their own space in a major US cultural city.

A Two-Night Celebration With a Strong Cultural Focus

CentroAmericanto Festival will open on Friday, 2 October, with a film programme in the Black Box theatre at the Mexican American Cultural Center. Doors will open at 6.45pm. The event will begin at 7pm and run until about 9.30pm.
The first screening will be JERHY, a 20-minute documentary from Costa Rica. The film follows the legacy of Jerhy Rivera, an Indigenous leader whose death left a deep mark on his Bröran community. It looks at family memory, Indigenous land rights and the struggle to protect ancestral land. The film is in Spanish with English subtitles, making it accessible to a wider Austin audience.
The second screening will be Cachada the Opportunity, a full-length documentary from El Salvador. It tells the story of five women who work as street vendors and are also single mothers. They form a theatre group called La Cachada Teatro. Through performance, they face painful memories and find a new sense of dignity and strength.
These are not light films. They ask visitors to look at real life in Central America. They bring stories of loss, women’s resilience, community and cultural survival to Austin. The programme will also include discussions with film guests. This gives audiences a chance to hear directly from people connected to the work.
Friday entry is donation-based, with a minimum donation of one dollar. Children and young people aged 18 and under must attend with a parent or guardian.

Music Night Brings Five Countries Into One Austin Stage

The festival shifts from cinema to music on Saturday, 3 October. The music programme will take place in the cultural centre auditorium. Food and vendors will begin from 5pm. The main concert will start at 7pm and end at 10pm.
The line-up brings together performers with roots in Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras and Panama. The evening will also show how Central American culture has grown within Texas communities.
Ceci Ceci will represent Nicaragua. The Texas-based Nicaraguan-Ecuadorian singer-songwriter is known for Latin pop music, catchy melodies and personal songs. Her work draws on nostalgia, humour and stories that connect with Latin American audiences across generations.
Jaime Hulk Varela will bring Salvadoran guitar music to the stage. Varela is linked to El Salvador’s Alternative Rock Nacional movement. He was a member of the band La Iguana and later developed his own musical career in Texas. His work blends Salvadoran identity with rock, blues and progressive music.
Honduran singer-songwriter Gricelda Padilla will perform music shaped by her Honduran heritage and years of musical theatre. Her performance will include Quédate, a song from her forthcoming album.
The local cultural group Amor por Panamá will add traditional dance. The Austin-based group teaches younger people Panamanian folk dances and preserves the dress, movements and traditions connected to different regions of Panama. It will perform first in the Zócalo plaza and later during the concert.
Mauricio Callejas, Teresita Ramos and Mauricio Ernesto will perform as the Mauricio Callejas Trio. Their set will include songs from the album Trópicos and a tribute to the late Honduran singer-songwriter Guillermo Anderson.

From a Music Portal to a Long-Running Festival

CentroAmericanto Festival did not begin as a large event. Its roots go back to Centroamericanto.net, a music portal created by Salvadoran singer-songwriter Mauricio Callejas in 2003. The portal gave Central American artists an online place to share their work before social media became a major tool for musicians.
The first Centroamericanto gathering took place in El Salvador in 2005. A second event followed in 2008. The festival arrived in Austin in 2011, when it held a sold-out concert at the Cactus Cafe at the University of Texas.
Since then, it has become an annual cultural bridge. It has hosted artists from nearly every Central American country. The festival has also used public spaces across Austin, including Zilker Park, Plaza Saltillo and the Mexican American Cultural Center.
The City of Austin has supported the festival through cultural contracts since 2012. In 2018, Austin recognised 1 September as Centroamericanto Fest Day. This history matters. It shows that the event is not a one-off celebration. It is part of Austin’s wider cultural life.

Why the Festival Matters for Austin Visitors

For travellers, CentroAmericanto Festival offers more than a concert ticket. It offers a chance to understand Central America through its own artists and communities. The event does not present the region as one simple culture. Its film and music programme gives space to Costa Rican, Salvadoran, Nicaraguan, Honduran and Panamanian voices.
The festival also supports local spending. Saturday vendors and traditional food create opportunities for small businesses and community producers. The programme encourages visitors to spend time at the Mexican American Cultural Center and explore the surrounding downtown area.
Austin is famous for live music. CentroAmericanto adds another layer to that reputation. It creates a place where traditional dance can stand beside contemporary pop, rock guitar can meet folk memory, and documentary film can lead to conversations about real lives.
For anyone visiting Austin in early October, CentroAmericanto Festival offers an important cultural stop. It is a weekend where Central American stories take the lead, and where music becomes a bridge between countries, communities and travellers.