HARRISONBURG, VA (Rocktown Now) — The Coalicion Solidaria Pro-Immigrantes Unidos (COSPU) has announced they are cancelling the 2025 Hispanic Festival in Harrisonburg.

Originally schedule for August 2, the festival was cancelled due to “increasing threats posed by the federal administration’s immigration enforcement policies and the demonization of immigrant families” says executive director Crimson Solano.

The festival has been around for 15 years welcoming soccer fans, families, local artisans, food vendors, small businesses, public agencies, and performers. It also served as a platform for sharing resources, connecting employers, and bringing people of all background together to celebrate Latinx culture.

Solano says “We cannot, in good conscience, invite families and community members to a public space where fear and trauma may overshadow joy and belonging. Our decision to cancel the festival is a direct act of protection. We refuse to allow this administration’s persecution and demonization of immigrants to endanger our people or use our gathering as a surveillance opportunity for inhuman policies.”