International cuisine with a side of the community is on the menu for the 9th Annual Hispanic Heritage Food Bazaar. Dozens of countries will be represented through cuisine and culture.

In addition to the regional culinary specialties, there will be live entertainment. Leila Cox will host, and performances by Shasta McNastie plus Ariel and Jorge are scheduled. In addition to happening during Hispanic Heritage Month, the party also marks National Latinx AIDS Awareness Day (NLAAD).

People can register as a guest or as a participant for the Friday, Oct. 8 event, which starts at 6 p.m. A $10 donation gets you food and soft drinks. Bars will be serving drinks for donations.

The Food Bazaar benefits Latinos Salud’s team fundraising for the upcoming Florida AIDS Walk fundraising season. Latinos Salud points out that Miami-Dade and Broward counties rank first and second in the nation for their rates of new HIV infections. The CDC says new HIV cases are rising rapidly among gay Latinos in South Florida. Latinos represent 68% of Miami-Dade's new HIV cases (up from 50% a decade ago) and 31% of Broward's (up from 18%). Latinos Salud is the only gay, Latino HIV agency in the state of Florida with free, walk-in services.

Latinos Salud believes they’ve found a safe way to hold the feast despite the ongoing COVID crisis. The Bazaar will be held outside their new Wilton Manors location at 1401 NE 26th Street. Guests are asked to wear masks except when eating or are socially distanced.

For more information on registering for the event and their other services, visit LatinosSalud.org.