Marinera dancers spun across the ballroom at the Hilton Garden Inn on July 26, white handkerchiefs fluttering above their heads while children in brightly colored dresses moved to the beat of a cajón.

For four hours that afternoon, about 70 people gathered at 15520 NW Gateway Ct. in Beaverton to celebrate Peru's culture and upcoming Independence Day through food, folk dance and live music.

The annual Peruvian Cultural Festival is the work of Jenny Cisneros, founder and executive director of the Beaverton-based Peruvian Cultural Festival Organization. Cisneros said she believes the group, which she started in 2018, was the first legally established Peruvian cultural nonprofit in Oregon.

"Our mission was to promote the Peruvian culture and to share the Peruvian culture so they can find the same joy we were having," Cisneros told OregonLive. "And we wanted to share that with everyone, not only with the Peruvian community, but with other Latin communities, and also with different people from different countries."

Cisneros moved to the United States from Peru nearly 30 years ago. She connected with her heritage through cooking traditional dishes; her husband kept Peruvian music playing at home.

That personal practice grew into a public mission. The organization's first event, Matices Criollos ("Nuances of Creole"), drew about 300 people to the Multnomah Arts Center in 2018, featuring musicians, dancers and Peruvian food.

The nonprofit now operates with five board members, two collaborators and a network of family volunteers. Organizers say it reaches 700 to 800 people through its annual programming.

This year the organization was unable to secure a park permit, so organizers moved the celebration indoors. A limited budget and a volunteer shortage also factored into the decision. The 2025 festival was held outdoors at Scotch Church Road Vineyard in Hillsboro on Friday, July 25, 2025.

Guests on Sunday ate a buffet of lomo saltado, ensalada rusa and alfajores before an evening of folk dance performances and a dance party.

William Bilchez, who left Peru at age 16 and now lives in Portland, brought his entire family after finding the festival online. "Growing up in Peru, my heart is there," Bilchez said. "Listening to the music, it just brings back memories."

Carmen Lu, president of Latin Media NW, a Portland-area Spanish-language media organization, said she has watched the festival grow and hopes it expands into educational programming.

The festival fell two days before Peru's official Independence Day, Fiestas Patrias, celebrated Tuesday, July 28 and Wednesday, July 29. The holiday marks Peru's 1821 declaration of independence from Spain.

The Peruvian Cultural Festival Organization is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit. Residents can learn more at peruvianculturalfestival.org or call (503) 336-1110.