Discover Hispanic Heritage Month activities for workplace fun and learning! In this guide, you’ll find ways for your team to learn about Hispanic culture and history while bonding and connecting with each other.
Hispanic Heritage Month 2023 is September 15 – October 15. Is your team ready to celebrate? In this list, you’ll find creative ways to engage your remote team. Learn, grow, and boost morale while exploring Hispanic Heritage.
How to Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month at Work
A few of our favorite Hispanic Heritage Month ideas for work:
Keep reading for more details about these ideas, and to find more ideas!
- Host a virtual potluck
- Learn Spanish with your team
- Start a Hispanic Heritage Month book club
- Explore Latinx food and drinks
- Learn a Salsa dance together
- Test your team’s knowledge with “Find the Flag”
In this list, you’ll find:
- Virtual activities for Hispanic Heritage month 2023
- Creative team building ideas for Hispanic Heritage Month
- Ideas to celebrate Hispanic leaders, inventors, and historic figures
- Fun cultural heritage ideas for Hispanic Heritage Month
- Ways to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with food
What is Hispanic Heritage Month?
Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to reflect on the importance of Hispanic culture. It’s also a time to celebrate and grow together while supporting our Hispanic friends and colleagues.
Hispanic Heritage Week began in 1968 in the United States, when President Lyndon Johnson signed Hispanic Heritage Week into law. Then, in 1988, the celebration expanded into a month when President Ronald Reagan signed National Hispanic Heritage Month into law.
Specifically, the Heritage Month starts on September 15. That’s because September 15 is independence day for five Spanish-speaking countries. In 1821, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua declared their independence.
Today, we celebrate the month-long holiday of Hispanic culture, from September 15 through October 15. During this time, you can enjoy festivals, dances, concerts, parades, and more.
1. Host a Virtual Potluck – One of Our Favorite Hispanic Heritage Month Activities!
Share a virtual food experience with your team! This Hispanic Heritage Month, gather to share recipes together.
First, create a shareable Google Doc for employees to contribute recipes, restaurants, and dishes. Ask everyone to add their ideas at the start of the month. Then, share the list with your team – or even with your entire company.
You can host a virtual potluck where everyone brings their favorite dish to show off. Or, try making something new! You can offer your team a stipend for ingredients, or to order takeout from a local Hispanic-owned restaurant.
Learn and connect while chatting about your favorite flavors, recipes, and traditions!
Explore this guide with 10 Traditional Latin American Recipes.
2. Invite a Virtual Guest Speaker
Liven up a team video call with a knowledgeable guest speaker. A guest speaker can bring fresh energy and unique expertise to your virtual meeting. Expand your perspectives by hearing from someone new.
Be sure to send out your guest speaker’s bio ahead of the meeting, so everyone can get a sense of what to expect. Additionally, include plenty of time for a Q&A session at the end!
Not sure where to start? Browse this list of Hispanic Speakers from the Premiere Speakers Bureau.
3. Book a Hispanic Heritage Month Virtual Experience with Unexpected Virtual Tours – One of Our Favorite Hispanic Heritage Month Activities!
Our brand-new Hispanic Heritage Month virtual team building experience was created for teams just like yours to learn about and celebrate this occasion!
Discover America’s untold stories of Latinx entrepreneurs, creators, and musicians. Our Hispanic and Latinx Heritage virtual event is a fun and engaging way for virtual groups to celebrate and learn together. Your experience will be led by two knowledgeable and personable in-studio guides, as well as two on-location guides.
Take a virtual field trip together to St. Augustine, Florida, and Austin, Texas. In St. Augustine, your team will virtually travel to the oldest Hispanic community in the country. Then, virtually trek the Tejano Walking Trails in Austin, including the Tejano Music Legends Trail. Additionally, you’ll learn all about the impact of Latin music on American culture.
Learn more and book your Hispanic Heritage Month team building experience.
4. Host a Virtual Lunch & Learn
Host virtual Lunch & Learn sessions for your team this Hispanic Heritage Month.
First, use a free online poll like Doodle to determine the best time for everyone to meet. Then, plan a session filled with engaging learning activities.
For instance, you could host a presentation on the purpose of Hispanic Heritage Month. Or, consider exploring one of the ideas or activities in this list.
In fact, you can even make Lunch & Learn sessions a monthly tradition. Each month, your team can pick a different topic and learn more. This is a fun way to explore other cultures as well as topics like geography, history, food, music, and more.
During the year, you can honor a variety of holidays and traditions. For example, you might choose to delve into the history and culture behind Cinco de Mayo or Day of the Dead.
Explore the Hispanic Star’s website on Hispanic Heritage Month. You’ll find an entire toolkit. Try PowerPoints, digital media assets, swag items, and more.
5. Learn Spanish with Your Team – One of Our Favorite Hispanic Heritage Month Activities!
Does your team love a fun challenge? If so, then try learning the Spanish language as a team!
During each day of Hispanic Heritage Month, pick a word or phrase for your team to learn. Then, send out the word of the day in a Slack thread or to email addresses. Challenge everyone to use the word in an internal conversation or email. Soon, your team will be stringing sentences together!
Looking for more support to help your team learn a new language? Duolingo is a popular and free language-learning app. Encourage your team to check it out so they can continue learning even after Hispanic Heritage Month is over!
6. Learn the Preferred Terminology
Language is always shifting. In order to be respectful and inclusive, it’s important to learn the preferred terminology – especially when it comes to marginalized communities. Help your team understand the most respectful phrasing when speaking about cultural topics.
For example, does your team know the difference between Latino and Hispanic? In short, Latino means from Latin America. Hispanic means from a country whose primary language is Spanish. You might also want to highlight different countries and share information about them.
Take some time during Hispanic Heritage Month to educate your team, so everyone can have important conversations respectfully. Or, take the opportunity to host a DEI training session to refresh everyone.
Read more about the differences between “Latino” and Hispanic.”
7. Play a Game of Lotería
Looking for a fun, interactive Hispanic Heritage Month activity? Enjoy some friendly competition by playing a game of lotería together.
Lotería is a traditional game of chance, similar to bingo. To play, the game uses a card deck of images rather than ping pong balls. You can play online and pick out fun prizes for the winners! For instance, the winners might receive an e-gift card to a local Hispanic-owned business (see idea #8 for inspiration!)
Play Lotería online with your team.
8. Learn a Dance!
Get your team moving by learning a Latin dance together. After all, dancing can be a fun way to get active and release stress. Additionally, by getting your team out of their comfort zone, everyone can build trust and rapport while boosting their self-confidence.
Moreover, your team will get to celebrate incredible Hispanic artists and music. Of course, one of our favorites is Puerto Rican musician Luis Fonsi.
To do this activity, invite everyone to a video call to learn a Latin dance together. You might want to choose 3 or 4pm on a Friday, when people are naturally excited for the weekend and may welcome a fun distraction.
Or, choose a morning time to kick-start your workday! Make sure everyone knows they can turn their camera off if they’re feeling self-conscious. That said, part of the fun will come from seeing everyone show off their moves!
Try YouTubing “Salsa dance lesson for beginners” to find a variety of video lessons!
9. Purchase Hispanic-Owned – One of Our Favorite Hispanic Heritage Month Activities!
This Hispanic Heritage Month, put your money where your mouth is and support Hispanic-owned businesses.
For example, you can create a list of Hispanic-owned restaurants, companies, and shops. Ask everyone on your team to share their suggestions to include! If your team is scattered across the globe, you can also include online stores and even Etsy shops.
Throughout Hispanic Heritage Month (and beyond!), this list will be a handy guide for team lunches, client gifts, and holiday gifts.
Check out this list of 60 Latinx-Owned Businesses to Support Today and Every Day.
10. Watch the Hispanic Heritage Awards
In 1988, the Hispanic Heritage Awards was started to honor Hispanic Heritage Month. Each year, top Latino performers pay tribute to the honorees. Celebrities take the stage along with educators, innovators, and leaders. For instance, past events have included talent like Carlos Santana, Salma Hayek, NFL Coach Ron Rivera, and more.
Host a virtual watch party with your team via Zoom and enjoy all the fun and excitement of this event!
Check the Hispanic Heritage Awards for more details leading up to the event.
11. Learn about Important Hispanic People Who Impacted American Life – One of Our Favorite Hispanic Heritage Month Activities
For a meaningful team experience, take some time to learn about important Hispanic figures in history.
For example, you can host a special video call with your team. During the call, ask each team member to present short 5-10 minute stories on an influential Hispanic person or famous Hispanic public figure. They can prepare a brief slide deck to share what they’ve learned. Or, encourage creative presentations. For instance, try sharing with skits, poetry readings, or a short video clip.
As an example, a few noteworthy people to learn about include Rep. Romualdo Pacheco and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor.
Check out this list: 10 Inspiring Latinas Who’ve Made History.
12. Participate in the Hispanic Heritage Virtual Run
The Hispanic Heritage Virtual Run is a fun and rewarding experience that will get everyone’s hearts pumping.
This 5k run (3.11 miles) supports the power of the Latino community. In addition, Latinos Run focuses on Latino physical and mental health.
Your team can sign up and complete their run any time between Sept 15-Oct 15. To create a feeling of team connection, you can suggest that everyone completes their runs on the same day. Try to find a date and time that works for everyone.
Then, when everyone’s collective flag-themed medals arrive in the mail, show them off on a celebratory video call! You can even host a team awards ceremony on Zoom.
Visit the Latinos Run webpage to learn more and sign up. For inspiration, learn about the incredible running history and culture of the Tarahumara people from the Copper Canyons region of Mexico with this article from Runner’s World.
13. Sing or Play Popular Music
Music is a great way to bring everyone together and learn about another culture.
Liven up team video calls with a group ensemble to iconic Latin songs. Encourage everyone to bring their instruments and join a video call to play together. If your team members don’t play any instruments, they can get creative! Encourage them to show up with pots and pans to drum on, or even your child’s rattle toy to shake rhythmically. Anything that makes a noise is welcome!
Listen to Latin songs for inspiration. Then, together, jam out to hits new and old. And, this is a fun way to spotlight any musicians on your team!
Check out Billboard’s 50 Greatest Latin Songs of All Time for song suggestions!
14. Start a Hispanic Heritage Month Book Club – One of Our Favorite Hispanic Heritage Month Activities!
Reading works by Hispanic authors is a meaningful way to honor Hispanic Heritage Month. This fall, start a team book club to bring Hispanic voices to the center of the conversation.
First, have club members vote on the book before the month starts. You can take team members’ suggestions to create a list of books for everyone to vote on.
Second, set a date for all readers to finish the book. Be sure to give at least a week. After all, many employees may be busy and have only a few moments a day to read!
Then, hop on a video call together to meet to discuss the group’s takeaways.
Some discussion prompts for your Hispanic Heritage Month book club:
- What was your favorite part of this book?
- Did you learn anything new while reading this book?
- What quote or passage stuck with you the most?
- Would you recommend this book to a friend? Why, or why not?
- What do you think is the primary message or theme the author is trying to communicate?
Check out Goodreads’ Hispanic Heritage Month Booklist for book club reading ideas.
15. Host a Hispanic Cocktail Happy Hour
Does your team love a good happy hour? If so, try creating a national cocktail from a Hispanic country at your next group event!
Enjoy a Coquito, or maybe a Crema de Vie. Supply your team with an ingredient list and recipe to follow. Be sure to include a mocktail option, too, so everyone can participate! You can craft your drinks together, enjoy a virtual “cheers,” and of course – the all-important taste test!
You can even make this a recurring weekly event during Hispanic Heritage Month. For instance, choose a different cocktail or recipe from a different Latin American country each week.
To help you choose your recipe, check out HipLatina’s list of national cocktails of every Latin American country.
16. Watch a Latinx Film or Documentary
Another option: celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month by watching a film or documentary featuring Hispanic culture.
First, poll the team to decide what you’ll watch. In fact, you can check out this best movie list celebrating Latinx and Hispanic culture to help the group decide.
Then, host an in-office screening or watch virtually together with video sync apps like Scener. Discuss the movie in real-time using your video call chat box.
To make this a family-friendly activity, pick a G-rated movie and invite everyone’s kids, partner, roommates, and pets to join in the fun! This is a great way to get to know your team members on a more personal level while also supporting your DEI goals.
17. Jam Out to a Hispanic Heritage Month Playlist
Join together to make a collaborative music playlist featuring favorite Hispanic and Latinx artists.
There’s a ton of great music to choose from. For instance, you can listen to pop legends like Shakira, the jazz fusion of Carlos Santana, and some incredible lesser-known artists.
Check out pre-made playlists to get the inspiration flowing. Then, your team can listen all month long. You may even find a new favorite song!
Get grooving with the playlist 50 Latin Classics on Spotify.
18. Test Your Team’s Knowledge with “Find the Flag”
Test your team’s knowledge with a game of Find the Flag!
First, collect photos of national flags from Hispanic and Latinx countries. Second, challenge your team members to guess which nation the flag belongs to. Bonus round, challenge your team further with variations like identifying countries on a map and naming capital cities.
This is a fun way to highlight the numerous countries that make up Hispanic culture. Everyone will leave the session having learned something new.
19. Visit a Museum or Cultural Site Virtually
Learn about Hispanic heritage by exploring museums and cultural sites virtually.
For example, your team can visit the Frida Kahlo Museum in Del Carmen, Mexico with a virtual tour. Or, view virtual galleries of pieces at the National Museum of the American Latino and Museum of Latin American Art.
In fact, your team can visit cultural sites together by utilizing screen sharing or projecting on a big screen.
20. Listen to a Hispanic-Led Podcast – One of Our Favorite Hispanic Heritage Month Activities!
Listening to podcasts is a great way to learn something new. And, this is a way to hear voices and stories directly from specific communities.
Honor Hispanic Heritage Month by listening to a Hispanic-led podcast. Then, come together with your team on a video call to discuss what you learned.
A few Hispanic-led podcasts to try:
- Yeah No, I’m Not Ok: Actress Diane Guerrero hosts discussions on mental health issues featuring other celebrities of color
- Spanish Aquí Presents: this 4-host comedy podcast tackles topics with special guests and features improv sessions
- News in Slow Spanish: covers today’s current events at a slow pace, perfect for new language learners
- Latino USA: this NPR podcast covers cultural, political, and social topics surrounding the Latinx community
21. Donate to a Nonprofit
To show your company’s support for the Hispanic community, make a donation to a Hispanic-focused nonprofit organization during the month. After all, this is a powerful way to support the community with the challenges they face.
Decide as a team what organization(s) you would like to support. When your employees have a say in what cause(s) the company’s donation will support, they are likely to feel more connected to the initiative. Many employees say that it’s important to them that their company is creating a positive impact in the world.
Some nonprofits to support during Hispanic Heritage Month and beyond:
- United We Dream
- Hispanic Scholarship Fund
- National Alliance for Hispanic Health
- Voto Latino
- Safe Passage Project
Pro tip: offer to match your employees’ donations to nonprofit organizations! In this way, you can encourage employees to give to causes that are important to them, while helping stretch the impact of their donations.
22. Create Art Inspired by Hispanic Culture – One of Our Favorite Hispanic Heritage Month Activities
Hispanic culture has influenced the art world for centuries. During this Hispanic Heritage Month at work, get creative with art pieces of your own!
Host an artist-led class for the team. For example, enjoy a paint and sip class as you recreate a classic Latin painting. Or, follow a video tutorial on a traditional art form like papel picado.
Art is a great medium to learn about new cultures and tap into your team’s creativity!
Looking for a turnkey way to celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with your team? Leave the details to us! Sign up for a virtual team building experience your employees will love, created just for Hispanic Heritage Month.
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