Bomba Marilé: DIY Festival Performers

It’s that time of the year again! The Utah State Fairpark opens its gates to the 18th Annual Craft Lake City DIY Festival Presented By Harmons. Being Utah’s largest local-centric arts, music, science and technology festival, DIY Fest is a three-day event. Experience the best of our state’s creative culture with over 500 local artists and makers, three stages for music and dance performances, a youth entrepreneur area, a STEM building with hands-on exhibitions, dozens of food vendors and more. Kids of all ages and dogs are welcome — find more info and get tickets at craftlakecity.com!

If you’ve ever wondered what it looks like when history, healing and pure joy all share the same space, make sure you catch Bomba Marilé at this year’s DIY Fest.

Founded in 2017, the nonprofit is dedicated to preserving and sharing bomba, a 500-year-old Afro-Puerto Rican musical tradition. Created by enslaved Africans in Puerto Rico as a way to communicate, express emotion and preserve culture, bomba remains a living art form rooted in community, resilience and liberation.

Miriam Padilla started the group after moving to Utah and realizing how little Puerto Rican cultural representation existed here. What began as library rehearsals has grown into a thriving community where longtime bomba practitioners, newcomers and people reconnecting with their Caribbean roots all find a place to belong.

For the group, bomba is much more than entertainment. “It’s about connection,” says Liliana Rodríguez Muriel, a member of Bomba Marilé. “Keep the connection with the ancestors and keep the connection with the people that we are right now.” That spirit extends beyond Puerto Rico, creating community throughout the diaspora.

Offstage, Bomba Marilé is just as committed to building community. The group regularly hosts free workshops centered on movement, music and mental wellness, inviting everyone to participate regardless of experience. —Jordan Turner

Read more about local groups building community:
Finding Community on the Trail: A Look at SLC Sapphic Hikers
Inside Norkova: Finding Happiness Through Community

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