NATCHEZ— Natchez will celebrate its Spanish heritage this weekend — with a special guest representing Spain.

Consul General of Spain Enric Panés of Houston will be attending the Natchez Festival of Music and Natchez Tricentennial event Serenata, An Evening in Old Spanish Natchez.

Panés was born in Barcelona, Spain, in October 1949 and is married to Bice Rinesi.

He obtained his law degree from the University of Barcelona in 1971.

Panés joined the Foreign Service of Spain as a career diplomat in 1974. He served in various roles at embassies in Islamabad, Pakistan, Rome, Beijing, Moscow and other cities. He has been an ambassador to the Republic of Korea and the Portuguese Republic, and was appointed consul general of Spain to Houston in May 2014.

Serenata, which will take place in the Old Spanish Quarter, will include a Spanish street party with Spanish wines, tapas, live Spanish music and a tour of the Gov. Holmes House and Texada.

Tricentennial Director and Interim Tourism Director Jennifer Ogden Combs said she is excited to welcome Panés to Natchez.

“I am thrilled and look forward to sharing the past, present and future of Natchez with the general consul of Spain, Enric Panés,” Combs said. “It’s an enormous honor to host the consul general of Spain in our tricentennial year.”

Tickets to the event are $75 with the house tours and $40 without the tours.

The tours will begin and 6 p.m., and the street party is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Tickets can be purchased at the Natchez Visitor Reception Center or online at shopnatchezpilgrimage.com.

The event is a collaboration of the Natchez Convention and Visitors Bureau, the National Park Service as well as the Natchez Festival of Music and Tricentennial Commission.