Denver Cinco de Mayo celebration highlights culture | Denver Metro News [Video]

The streets of Denver boomed with Mexican culture as the city’s annual Cinco de Mayo festival kicked off Saturday. 

From a lowrider parade to traditional Mexican dances, chihuahua races, food trucks and handmade goods, Civic Center Park opened the 2024 festival season with the largest cultural celebration in the state — a two-day festival of all things Latino continuing a tradition that started over 50 years ago.

But the festival, held in Civic Center since 1993, is more than just a fun day in the spring sun. It’s an opportunity to share community and bring up local Latino-owned businesses. 

“Cinco de Mayo nationally gets dubbed as just a beer fest. Really, it’s far more cultural than that,” said Andrea Barela, CEO at NEWSED Community Development Corporation, the organizer of the event since 1988.

“When you come to our fest, it’s like visiting the heart of Mexico for an entire weekend… …