Bud Light celebrates 30 Years of Calle Ocho.

Bud Light and the Anheuser-Busch family of distributors are joining to celebrate the 30-year anniversary of Calle Ocho through a retail promotion benefiting the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana’s Scholarship Fund. The promotion runs through March 16, the day of the Calle Ocho Festival.

Bud Light and the Anheuser-Busch distributors of South Florida are donating 25 cents per case for every Budweiser, Bud Light and Budweiser Select 18-pack of bottles and cans sold at Sedano’s Supermarkets throughout South Florida. The money will go to the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana Scholarship Fund to help support Hispanic higher education in South Florida.

“Calle Ocho began in 1978 as a block party to celebrate the Cuban culture in Miami and has become a global festival that attracts hundreds of thousands to South Florida and makes a difference in the community,” said Dr. Ricardo Gonzalez, president of the Kiwanis Club of Little Havana. “Anheuser-Busch was one of our first sponsors, and their support is one of the reasons Calle Ocho has grown into the event it is today.”

Since the beginning of the festival, Anheuser-Busch has brought top Latino musicians to Calle Ocho, making its Musical Super Site one of the festival’s most popular attractions. Artists such as Celia Cruz, Willy Chirino, Hector Lavoe and El Gran Combo have appeared on the stage. This year, the Bud Light Musical Super Site will be located between S.W. 23rd Avenue and S.W. 24th Avenue at S.W. Eighth Street, and entertainment will begin at noon on March 16. The 2008 lineup features Grammy winning Cuban singer and composer Albita Rodriguez, Grammy Award and Latin Grammy Award-nominated singer La India and Venezuelan salsa musician Oscar D’ Leon. The concerts will be free and open to the public.

“For generations, Anheuser-Busch has been active in the Latino community as part of our tradition of giving back to the communities where we live and work,” said Paco Bendaña, director of community relations, Anheuser-Busch, Inc. “We’re proud to partner with the Kiwanis of Little Havana to support higher education and celebrate Latino culture through Calle Ocho.”

To celebrate Calle Ocho’s 30-year anniversary, Anheuser-Busch also sponsored the documentary “Calle Ocho – 30 Years and Counting.” The documentary will air as a television special on PBS in South Florida in April and nationally during Hispanic Heritage Month in October. The documentary showcases Calle Ocho through the decades with historical photos and news clips of the eras.

“We’re pleased to partner with Anheuser-Busch to support a great festival and a very important cause. The Kiwanis club of Little Havana has provided educational opportunities to so many South Florida students over the years through their Scholarship Foundation, and we’re please to share in that success by participating in this promotion.” said Javier Herran, director of marketing, Sedano’s Supermarkets.