The City of Aurora, in partnership with RiverEdge Park and the City of Aurora’s Hispanic Heritage Advisory Board, is excited to announce the 13th annual Fiestas Patrias Festival, Saturday and Sunday, September 12 and 13 at the newly expanded RiverEdge Park, 360 N. Broadway, in downtown Aurora. Bring your friends, blankets, bag chairs, and dancing boots, and get ready for two exciting nights at the park in celebration of Mexican Independence Day. Not only does Fiestas Patrias bring live music, mariachi, local food vendors, and internationally acclaimed bands like Banda Carnaval and La Maquinaria Norteña, the two-day event raises thousands of dollars in scholarship funds annually for Hispanic, college-bound Aurora residents. Gates open Saturday, September 12 at 3:30 p.m. Opening acts include Aurora’s own Ballet Folklorico at 4 p.m., Los Creyentes del Poder at 5 p.m., Grupo Furioso at 6:30 p.m., an onstage ceremony recognizing scholarship recipients at 7:45 p.m., and headliner Banda Carnaval at 8:30 p.m.