Last November, two days before the 25th festival opened at Ogden Park, founder Lucy Vasquez told WWAY that organizers were "slowly transitioning to the Amigos International" festival, and she stressed the word international. She said the goal was to make it "truly international, not just Latino."
Twelve months later the change is on the poster. The 2025 event ran as the "Amigos International Festival Latino." The official site now bills the 26th edition, set for Saturday, Nov. 14, and Sunday, Nov. 15, 2026, as the Amigos International Festival. Set the two years side by side and the new name matches what the food tents were already serving. Most of what Ogden Park regulars know about this weekend is coming back as it was.
The menu went international before the name did
WECT's October 2025 preview listed the cuisines expected that year: Mexico, El Salvador, Cuba, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Honduras, America, Brazil, the Philippines, China, Colombia and Venezuela. That list already reached across the Pacific, a full year before "Latino" came off the name.
The 2026 coverage from WWAY names food from Mexico, Japan, India, El Salvador, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Honduras, the Philippines, Colombia and the Caribbean. Japan and India are new to the named list. Both years' lists are samples from news coverage, not full vendor rosters. So the safe conclusion is that the festival keeps adding countries, not that any country has been dropped.
The founding idea fits the new name. When the StarNews profiled Vasquez in 2021, it described the festival as her way of building a bridge between area Latinos and the wider Wilmington community, run through her nonprofit, Amigos Internacional. After the 2025 event she told WECT that her new mission was to grow the festival beyond Latin countries. "The community loves culture. The community loves the differences, and I think this festival is the best to enjoy," she said. The 2026 name is the first to reflect that goal.
What carries over from 2025, and what's new
The festival format hasn't changed much. Here is how last year's previews compare with this year's.
| 2025 (25th) | 2026 (26th) | |
|---|---|---|
| Name | Amigos International Festival Latino | Amigos International Festival |
| Dates | Sat., Nov. 8 and Sun., Nov. 9 | Sat., Nov. 14 and Sun., Nov. 15 |
| Published hours | Sat. 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Sun. noon–6 p.m. | Sat. 11 a.m.–8 p.m., Sun. noon–6 p.m. per WECT and WWAY |
| Kids' features named | Petting zoo, inflatables, carnival games, prizes, piñatas, Great Mexican Hat Race | Inflatable rides, carnival games, climbing wall, bungee jumping, piñatas, hourly Mexican Hat Races |
| Also on site | Live music and dance, health and human services fair, arts and crafts | Live music and dance, DJs, dance lessons, health and human services fair, arts and crafts |
| Admission | Free | Free |
The hourly Mexican Hat Race is still part of the Kids Fiesta, and the health and human services fair is back for another year. This year's preview also mentions a climbing wall and bungee jumping. The entertainment lineup includes bands, singers and traditional dance groups from across North Carolina, plus local performers, DJs and dance lessons. Local and regional artists will sell crafts, pottery and jewelry, including artwork from Latin America and other parts of the world.
The festival is also bigger than a neighborhood park event might suggest. "It's not your average little tiny festival," Vasquez told WWAY last year. She counted "over a hundred exhibitors in the different areas." WECT reported that Saturday of the 2025 event drew hundreds of people. According to WWAY, organizers expect a bigger turnout this year than last.
The Sunday start time has two answers
One detail doesn't match from source to source. WECT and WWAY both give the Sunday hours as noon to 6 p.m., the same as in 2025. The festival's own homepage says the event "Starts at 11 AM" on both days. If you're planning a late Sunday brunch around the festival, call the organizer line on the official site, 910-264-4915, before you build the morning around 11 a.m. Saturday is clear: 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. in every source, which gives an evening of food and music after dark that the Sunday schedule doesn't have.
Your park, busier than usual
The festival takes place at Ogden Park, 615 Ogden Park Drive, near Market Street and Gordon Road. On an ordinary weekend, New Hanover County's listing for the park covers three baseball fields, basketball courts, an off-leash dog park, a multi-age playground, a 10,000-square-foot skatepark, soccer and football fields, tennis courts and a one-mile accessible trail. Nobody has announced closures of those amenities for festival weekend. If the dog park or the trail is part of your weekend routine, expect more company and tighter parking, especially during Saturday's long afternoon.
Parking arrangements from past years are a useful guide, though none have been confirmed for 2026:
- In the park. For the 2024 festival, the StarNews reported that park parking was first-come, first-served, and some visitors parked outside the park.
- By shuttle. For 2025, WWAY reported shuttle service from Enoch Chapel Missionary Baptist Church on Market Street. The festival's 2026 page doesn't list a shuttle, so ask on the organizer line before you count on it.
- On foot or by bike. If you live within walking or biking distance of the park, this is the weekend to use it, and the parking question goes away.
Who's helping put it on
The official site lists community partners for 2026, among them Shotwell Law Group, Renewal by Andersen, Bob King, Los Portales, WECT Wilmington 6, and Horton and Mendez. Businesses and community organizations will also have booths for festivalgoers. Admission is free both days.
What arrives at Ogden Park on Nov. 14 is the same two-day festival with the hat races, the health fair and the long Saturday hours, under a name that now matches its menu. This year's named food list includes Japan and India for the first time, and the Sunday start time is worth a phone call before you go.
Stephanie Vogel is a French-English bilingual broker who values weekends like this one, when a neighborhood park brings the whole Cape Fear region to Ogden. If you're new to north Wilmington, or you're helping family settle in before the holidays, and you'd like a calm, local guide to what the area offers through the year, Let's Connect.
