La Orquesta Tropico prepares for Raleigh's La Fiesta del Pueblo

RALEIGH (WTVD) -- The Triangle's largest celebration of Latin Heritage Month is happening on Sunday along Fayetteville Street in downtown Raleigh.

La Fiesta del Pueblo features two stages of live music on each end of Fayetteville Street -- along with great food and vendors celebrating people from across Latin America who live in the Triangle.

The event is organized by El Pueblo, Inc. and ABC11 is once again sponsoring the 2019 fiesta that takes place in front of our downtown Raleigh newsroom and studio.

La Orquesta Tropico is one of the star attractions.

ABC11 joined the band for a rehearsal session at a North Raleigh recording studio where the band played a variety of Latin music styles.

"I call it Caribbean music," band leader Ricardo Diquez told ABC11. "It's mainly salsa because that's what I like, it's also Merengue, Cumbia and Cha-Cha."

Diquez started La Orquesta Tropico in 1999 by assembling talented musicians from across Latin America.

"They're all from different countries, from the United States from Puerto Rico, Colombia, Venezuela," said Diquez.

His career started at the age of six when his parents signed him up for a TV talent show in Venezuela.

"I won the first prize and after that it was first grade, and I was in theater and dancing and singing pretty much all my life," said Diquez.

Now he's teaching his son Noah the art of Latin music.

Noah plays the bongos and cowbells in the band.

"This type of music is the kind that you need to dance," said Diquez. "You cannot just be sitting there. But if you are new to the salsa scene, the Latin scene, you might want to enjoy the show and see the interaction between the musicians and how everything happens."

La Orquesta Tropico performs at 3:15 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 22, at the La Fiesta del Pueblo stage in front of the North Carolina State Capitol on the north end of Fayetteville Street.

More information about Fiesta del Pueblo can be found here.