Dance, dialogue and ‘sabor’ during UCLA’s Hispanic Heritage Month

Bruins and the general public are welcome to take part in events that celebrate culture, scholarship and connection during UCLA's celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month - from an online cooking class with the UCLA Teaching Kitchen and La Comunidad to folklórico performances and campuswide gatherings like UCLA's annual Latinx Welcome.

This calendar represents a sample of the programming the Bruin community has to offer throughout the year. Be sure to follow campus units, such as the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center, César E. Chávez Department of Chicana/o and Central American Studies, UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute and UCLA Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture.

Ongoing through fall quarter

Exhibition: ¡Somos Superpoderosxs! Latines in Comics

Come see the many ways Latino characters, histories and culture are a part of the comics universe, from stories about lucha libre, brujeria and spiritualism to homies and lowrider culture. The exhibition also includes works by renowned Chicano comic creators, as well as material that explores Latin American culture through comics. Items on display come from the Latinx Comics and Visual Literature Collection at the UCLA Chicano Studies Research Center; the private collection of the center's librarian, Xaviera Flores; and animator and cartoonist Jeaux Janovsky.

The free exhibition is on display in the Chicano Studies Research Center's library and hallway vitrine in Haines Hall. It is viewable during regular library hours.

Oct. 3, 8:00 p.m.

Arturo O'Farrill and the Afro Latin Jazz Ensemble

Multi-time Grammy-winning jazz musician and UCLA professor Arturo O'Farrill will lead an evening of music that bridges genres and cultures through a vibrant and spirited style. Led by O'Farrill, a pianist, composer and educator born in Mexico and raised in New York City, the group's sound is steeped in Latin jazz traditions and aims to use art as a tool for cultural exchange and understanding.

Tickets are available for purchase. The event will take place at the UCLA Nimoy Theater.

Oct. 4, 9:30 a.m.

UCLA Latino Alumni Association's 'Taquiza Tailgating' at the Rose Bowl

The Latino Alumni Association is bringing "pride and passion" to the Rose Bowl for UCLA football's home game against Penn State with the Latino Bruins "Taquiza Tailgate." Reconnect with alumni, make new memories and build community over football and tacos, with a taquero on-site. Net proceeds from this event will go toward supporting student and alumni programming through the Latino Alumni Association.

Ticket prices include a full meal. Exact location details will be emailed after registration.

Oct. 8, 5:00 p.m.

Enchiladas con frijol y plátano: a virtual cooking session

UCLA Teaching Kitchen and La Comunidad, UCLA Health's Latino affinity group, will host a virtual cooking class with the kitchen's Chef Julia Rhoton on Zoom. Rhoton will walk through preparing enchiladas con frijol y plátano with special guests and "sous chefs" Elizabeth Gonzalez, UCLA's inaugural director of UCLA's Hispanic-Serving Institution initiative, and David Hayes-Bautista, professor of medicine and director of UCLA's Center for the Study of Latino Health and Culture.

Register for the Zoom information.

Oct. 8, 9:00 a.m.

¡Adelante!: Demystifying the Academic Pathway

The Adelante Inaugural Institute 2025 will present findings and insights from the F.A.S.T. Pathway, a UCLA Faculty Forward Initiative grant project, and its toolkit, which aims to demystify the academic pathway for bilingual and bicultural mental health providers. Attendees will address the current landscape, discuss a proposed pathway based on community engagement efforts and build connections and community.

Registration is required. This event will take place at the UCLA Faculty Club. Lunch will be served.

Oct. 8, 6:00 p.m.

Fowler Out Loud: Grupo Folklórico de UCLA

The Fowler Museum at UCLA concert series "Fowler Out Loud" invites the community to Grupo Folklórico de UCLA in honor of Hispanic Heritage Month with an evening of song and dance. Established in 1966, Grupo Folklórico celebrates Mexican heritage, creates positive Latino role models, promotes cultural awareness across campus and encourages Los Angeles youth to embrace their roots and enroll in institutions of higher learning.

The event takes place at the Fowler Museum. RSVP is requested.

Oct. 10, 8:00 p.m.

Live musical performance: Lucía

Inspired by legends like Sarah Vaughan and Nina Simone - and deeply rooted in the Latin American songbook - Lucía's music is a heartfelt blend of traditional American jazz and Latin folk. Since debuting on the world stage, Lucía has collaborated with Natalia Lafourcade, Aloe Blacc and La Santa Cecilia, cementing her status as an artist to watch. Her recently released debut album was produced by Grammy-winner Matt Pierson and features Edward Simon, David Sanchez, Larry Grenadier and Antonio Sánchez.

Tickets are available for purchase. The event will take place at the UCLA Nimoy Theater.

Oct. 14, 4:00 p.m.

4th Annual Welcome: "Rooted Together - Our Community, Our Future"

Presented by the Latinx Success Center, this year's annual Latinx Welcome will celebrate Latino heritage, resilience and community. This event warmly welcomes new and returning Latinx undergraduate and graduate students while inviting the broader UCLA community to join in on the celebration. The program will feature delicious food, dynamic entertainment, a resource fair for undergraduate, graduate and professional students to network, and special remarks from campus leadership.

The event, which takes place at Wilson Plaza, is free and everyone is invited to attend.

Oct. 15, 6:00 p.m.

Una fuerza más de cien mil: Celebrating LBTQ Latinas in Los Angeles

The Latina Futures Lab, the Williams Institute at UCLA School of Law and the Los Angeles TransLatina Coalition will host a community launch party to celebrate recent research about LGTQ Latinas in Los Angeles. The event will bring together community members from across the region to engage with the findings and explore how these new insights can spark activism, art, community and change.

RSVP is requested. The event takes place at Bar Flores in Echo Park.

Oct. 15, noon

Agarrándonos Hasta de lo Imposible: Exploring queer Indigenous traditions, memory and cultural resistance

Mario Gómez Zamora, a UCLA Chancellor's postdoctoral fellow and first-generation P'urhépecha and mestizo scholar, explores queer Indigenous histories and performances that cross borders and traditions. With expertise spanning migration, memory, dance studies and Latino American studies, his work has been recognized in journals such as Wicazo Sa Review and Genealogy. This Hispanic Heritage Month, he will share insights from his book project "Queer P'urhépecha Histories and Performances Beyond Borders," in a virtual event hosted by the UCLA Center for Mexican Studies.

This event takes place via Zoom. Register for a link to attend.