Colorado’s largest and longest-standing regional Cinco de Mayo Festival is set to return on May 4 and 5.
Last year’s Cinco de Mayo “Celebrate Culture” Festival drew hundreds of thousands of people. The event was started by NEWSED Community Development Corporation as a neighborhood street fair to celebrate Mexican heritage. In 1995, the festival moved to Denver’s Civic Center Park, and after a two-year break because of the pandemic, the event returned in 2022.
This year’s Cinco de Mayo Festival will take place from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. at Civic Center Park, first Saturday and Sunday in May. The festival will include contests, non-stop entertainment across three stages, food vendors, and unique merchandise from local artisans. The event is family friendly and will include activities for children.
Among the many forms of entertainment at the Cinco de Mayo Festival will include chihuahua races, a taco eating contest, and a lowrider car show. Festival headliners include Dueto Voces de Rancho, who will perform on May 4, and Patrulla 81, who is slated to take the stage on May 5. The Cinco de Mayo Festival will also include a parade that takes place on May 4 from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. The parade will start three blocks west of the City & County Building and will wind through downtown Denver before eventually arriving at Denver’s Civic Center Park area.
“I love that the event brings the community together. That’s what I love about it,” said NEWSED President/CEO Andrea Barela. “I grew up with this event. I’ve been a part of it since I was eight years old. My favorite part is seeing people happy with their children out having a good time. I like it when our community can come together and forget about just how difficult life can be and just celebrate together for a weekend and have fun.”
Cinco de Mayo celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s May 5, 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the France-Mexican War. The day is a minor holiday in Mexico, but it has evolved into a cel- ebration of Mexican culture and heritage in the United States. It is also a longstanding symbolic celebration of the underdog, as in the Battle of Puebla where the French army outnumbered the Mexican military.
Cinco de Mayo is primarily observed in the state of Puebla and traditions include military parades, recre- ations of the Battle of Puebla and other events. In the United States, Chicano activists raised awareness of the holiday in the 1960s.
For decades, NEWSED has worked to promote community development to underserved populations in Colorado by providing navigation for housing services, nurturing small businesses, and promoting asset creation.
For more information about the Cinco de Mayo Festival, visit cincodemayodenver.com. To learn more about NEWSED, visit newsed.org.
“I think Cinco de Mayo is a good example of how the Hispanic culture in Colorado and the Latino culture in Colorado is very prevalent and always has been. This is one of the events, not the only event that celebrates that,” said Barela.
