Cinco de Mayo, San Diego Style
If you live in San Diego 
County, of course you know that Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican independence day, as it’s often confused elsewhere. That celebration takes place on September 16. Cinco de Mayo actually commemorates the Mexican victory over the much stronger French occupation forces during the 1862 Battle of Puebla.
Does this matter to most San Diegans planning their weekend festivities? Probably not. Locally, Cinco de Mayo is just the largest annual excuse for a Mexican fiesta, and that’s what you’ll find throughout the county.
San Diego actually started celebrating Cinco de Mayo early this year. Last Sunday, Chula Vista’s Festival Cinco de Mayo took place downtown with an estimated 40,000 in attendance.
Schools throughout the county have been teaching the children about Cinco de Mayo all week, along with their own crafts and celebrations. On Wednesday, the Rancho Bernardo Library provided a Cinco de Mayo craft time for children. The Otay-Mesa Nestor branch celebrated with a Cinco de Mayo Ballet Folklorico de Casa Familiar.
On Thursday, students at Palomar College enjoyed a celebration organized by Palomar’s Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (MEChA) Latino student organization, including a traditional Mexican meal and a performance of Ballet Folklorico.
On the same day, the Allied Gardens/Benjamin Library presented Cinco de Mayo Crafts, and the City Heights/Weingart Library had a celebration and collaboration of Cinco de Mayo con Orgullo Coalition, a special presentation by The Monroe Clark Band, Ballet Folklorico Quetzal, Mariachi Arriba Mexico, Aztec Dancers and Music Norteno with Julian Briano.
Old Town Mexican Cafe kicked off their celebration today at noon, and will continue through the weekend. If you haven’t started your Cinco de Mayo celebration yet, here are some places where you can play this weekend:
Saturday - Cinco de Mayo (May 5)
From 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., the Old Town Fiesta Cinco de Mayo will feature 200 performers at eight different venues. Expect a traditional Mexican mercado (market) selling handmade crafts and regional foods. A re-enactment of the 1862 Battle of Puebla will highlight this festival. About 200,000 visitors are expected over Saturday and Sunday, and admission is free.
On Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m., Vista Christian Fellowship will host a free Cinco de Mayo Fair, providing face painting, a large bouncer, snow cones, pony rides, community booths and traditional food.
The South Chula Vista Library will host a special story time and craft in celebration of Cinco de Mayo from 2 to 3 p.m. in the Children’s Room. Also at 2, the Belly Up Tavern will feature a performance of The Hitmen & guests.
The 7-10 Beach Club will host a Cinco de Mayo party from 4 to 7 p.m.
Tapenade Restaurant in La Jolla will feature a special Cinco de Mayo menu for $45 per person, accompanied by the Latin rhythms of Shadowlight.
For the big-time partyers, the Gaslamp Quarter’s Five on Five Block Party starts at 5 p.m. There will be a pro skate ramp in the X-Games lounge, live bands 
including Mariachi del Mar, Tokadiscos, Disco Pimps, Lady Dottie & the Diamonds, and DJs like DJ Mac, Miss Lisa, Mar Thrasher and Brent Bartel, along with go-go dancers. The Five on Five takes place at Fifth Avenue between Island Avenue and J Street and on J Street between Fifth and Sixth avenues. What does all of this have to do with the Battle of Puebla? Uh…nothing. But San Diego loves a party! Pre-purchase tickets for $15, or $20 at the gate for no cover charge and food/drink specials at more than 20 Gaslamp restaurants and nightclubs. Proceeds will benefit Christie’s Place, a non-profit organization for families impacted by HIV and AIDS.
For a more cultural evening, Centro Cultural de la Raza will host Fiesta Poblana, an evening of education and dance at its Balboa Park location. The evening’s events begin at 6 p.m. with a chicken mole poblano dinner. At 8 p.m. the center will feature traditional costumes, historical narrative and dances demonstrating the evolution of the Chicano culture.
Cane’s Bar & GrillCane’s Bar & GrillCane’s Bar & Grill will start their celebration at 9 p.m. with performances by Stranger, The Mayan Kings and Quinto Sol. Also at 9, the Belly Up Tavern will fuse reggae and Spanish for Reggae de Mayo, in the performance of Elijah Emanuel and The Revelations, Orchestra primo and DJ Carlos Culture.
Rich’s San Diego is planning Kimberly S for Cinco de Mayo, with free gift bags, cd give-aways and drink specials.
Sunday - the party continues
From 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the Old Town Fiesta Cinco de Mayo will continue. (See Saturday’s details.)
From 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Oceanside will celebrate Latino heritage with live entertainment, food, and festivities. About 50,000 people are expected to converge on the Oceanside Pier Amphitheater for this free event.
From noon to 4:30 p.m., there will be an alcohol-free celebration with Mexican food, music, activities for kids, dancing and a Mariachi band at Zeke Weaver Memorial Field in Fallbrook.
On Sunday from noon to 7 p.m. in the Grandstand of Del Mar Fairgrounds, La Fiesta del Pueblo will include several local singers and bands. Headlining the event is Banda El Recodo, with other groups to include Grupo Horoscopos, Toñita, Los Apson and Grupo Miramar. Although this event is free, parking at Del Mar Fairgrounds is $9.
Monday - still going
On Monday, you can continue the celebration at Rancho Bernardo Library with Ballet Folkorico Tapatio, sharing the history of Mexico through the art of traditional regional dance.
Of course, if all else fails, just head to any good Mexican restaurant in your community. There’s bound to be a fiesta going on this weekend. This close to Mexico, the food will be great, and as you raise your glass, a toast:
Salud, dinero, y amor… y tiempo para disfrutarlas.
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POSTED IN: Attractions, Entertainment, Events, Schools & Education
5 opinions for Cinco de Mayo, San Diego Style
The DC Traveler - The DC Traveler Hosts a Carnival of Cities
May 7, 2007 at 4:49 am
[...] Carole at The San Diego Beat gives us the 411 on many of the events around the city in her post Cinco de Mayo, San Diego Style. [...]
Vacation Apprentice: Sights and events from around the world!
May 7, 2007 at 6:57 am
[...] Jul at This non-American Life writes about an afternoon tradition in Vienna - Kaffee-und-Kuchen(coffee and cake). It reminds me of being a kid and my Mom’s yummy home-made kaffee kuchen - her version of a crumb-topped coffee cake that I was brought up with and had many afternoons after a day at school. Evelyn’s blog Homespun Honolulu tells us about the must-see Hawaii Maritime Center . It’s filled with information and artifacts about whaling, fishing, Captain Cook, Hawaiian history, tattoos and lots more about the sea. There’s even the Falls of Clyde built in 18789, the only four-masted, fully-rigged ship left in the world, which is now a national historic landmark. Shedwa, who writes about The Big Apple at shedwa, has a video post about the upcoming Dance Parade. Floats, live bands and dj’s leads a street dance through New York City streets while they demonstrate 43 styles of dance, from ballroom to disco. Where else could you find this but in NYC? Over at What’s Shakin in San Antonio?, Jami has some great photos of the homes in the Monte Monte Vista area of San Antonio. It’s a neighborhood that was built around the turn of the century through the 1920s and has some great old classic homes. Having lived in San Antonio for several years, it brought back some fun memories of neighborhood walks I took through that district. Ruth (one of our own b5media travel writers) at Let’s Visit Asia has a post about the new Westin Hotel??in the center of the business district that’s opening soon in Guanzhou, China. Jaz, a self-proclaimed “accidental Southern” writes in Wicked Winter about the history and full-circle cycle of the Montague Avenue area in North Charleston, SC. John at A DC Birding Blog really knows his birds and tells us where some of the Choice Bird Watching Spots??accessable by public bus in Washington, DC. The first spot on his list is a park I also recently wrote about. Now if he can only recommend a way for me to get rid of the pesky flock of geese that have taken over my back yard. My buddy Eric, over at What’s Up Arlington, writes about Artomatic, an eclectic collection of art with something for everyone in suburban Washington, DC. At Brisbane is Home, written by David, tell us about the recent Brisbane???s Valley Jazz Festival, complete with photo and music links. Kathryn over at San Fran Voice provides some great information about Finding Love and More on Craigslist (new friends, a job or an apartment and more), which was started in the Bay area. Stave at Silicon Valley Real Estate Blog gives us a reason to visit California’s Silicon Valley (and it’s not to stare at all the 22 year old Internet millionaires), it’s to take a Walking Tour of Santana Row. In a submission from another b5travel blogger,??Mary Jo??at The Seattle Traveler, she writes about Chicks in the City. No, it’s not the latest HBO series…it’s about raising chickens for fresh eggs in Seattle. At The Digerati Life??by Silicon Valley Blogger asks the question, Should you Quit School and following in the footsteps of so many Silicon Valley millionaire dropouts? Carole at The San Diego Beat gives us the 411 on many of the events around the city in her post Cinco de Mayo, San Diego Style. Riversider at Save The Ribble??describes a May Day festival and her eco-friendy post about her efforts to stop a Barrage (dam) across the Rabble River in the North of England. At The Picket Line by David, writes about a book on the Underground Economy of the Poor in Chicago. Interesting information. And finally, my entry from The DC Traveler is about the showing of the many mini “indie”??films created at the recent 48-Hour Fim Project??in Washington, DC. [...]
It’s Carnival Time In Cybertown! | Homespun Honolulu
May 8, 2007 at 2:35 pm
[...] Carole at The San Diego Beat educates us on the true meaning of Cinco de Mayo and then shows us how San Diego doesn’t care when they celebrate it, as long as they do! Cinco de Mayo, San Diego Style shares a nice pictorial story with this week’s Carnival goers! In fact, now I know that Taco Bell is where I’m going for lunch! [...]
Carnival in DC | The San Diego Beat
May 9, 2007 at 12:18 am
[...] Cinco de Mayo, San Diego Style (CA - Right here, of course) [...]
Vacation Apprentice: Sights and events from around the world!
May 10, 2007 at 2:42 am
[...] Jul at This non-American Life writes about an afternoon tradition in Vienna - Kaffee-und-Kuchen(coffee and cake). It reminds me of being a kid and my Mom’s yummy home-made kaffee kuchen - her version of a crumb-topped coffee cake that I was brought up with and had many afternoons after a day at school. Evelyn’s blog Homespun Honolulu tells us about the must-see Hawaii Maritime Center . It’s filled with information and artifacts about whaling, fishing, Captain Cook, Hawaiian history, tattoos and lots more about the sea. There’s even the Falls of Clyde built in 18789, the only four-masted, fully-rigged ship left in the world, which is now a national historic landmark. Shedwa, who writes about The Big Apple at shedwa, has a video post about the upcoming Dance Parade. Floats, live bands and dj’s leads a street dance through New York City streets while they demonstrate 43 styles of dance, from ballroom to disco. Where else could you find this but in NYC? Over at What’s Shakin in San Antonio?, Jami has some great photos of the homes in the Monte Monte Vista area of San Antonio. It’s a neighborhood that was built around the turn of the century through the 1920s and has some great old classic homes. Having lived in San Antonio for several years, it brought back some fun memories of neighborhood walks I took through that district. Ruth (one of our own b5media travel writers) at Let’s Visit Asia has a post about the new Westin Hotel in the center of the business district that’s opening soon in Guanzhou, China. Jaz, a self-proclaimed “accidental Southern” writes in Wicked Winter about the history and full-circle cycle of the Montague Avenue area in North Charleston, SC. John at A DC Birding Blog really knows his birds and tells us where some of the Choice Bird Watching Spots accessable by public bus in Washington, DC. The first spot on his list is a park I also recently wrote about. Now if he can only recommend a way for me to get rid of the pesky flock of geese that have taken over my back yard. My buddy Eric, over at What’s Up Arlington, writes about Artomatic, an eclectic collection of art with something for everyone in suburban Washington, DC. At Brisbane is Home, written by David, tell us about the recent Brisbane’s Valley Jazz Festival, complete with photo and music links. Kathryn over at San Fran Voice provides some great information about Finding Love and More on Craigslist (new friends, a job or an apartment and more), which was started in the Bay area. Stave at Silicon Valley Real Estate Blog gives us a reason to visit California’s Silicon Valley (and it’s not to stare at all the 22 year old Internet millionaires), it’s to take a Walking Tour of Santana Row. In a submission from another b5travel blogger, Mary Jo at The Seattle Traveler, she writes about Chicks in the City. No, it’s not the latest HBO series…it’s about raising chickens for fresh eggs in Seattle. At The Digerati Life by Silicon Valley Blogger asks the question, Should you Quit School and following in the footsteps of so many Silicon Valley millionaire dropouts? Carole at The San Diego Beat gives us the 411 on many of the events around the city in her post Cinco de Mayo, San Diego Style. Riversider at Save The Ribble describes a May Day festival and her eco-friendy post about her efforts to stop a Barrage (dam) across the Rabble River in the North of England. At The Picket Line by David, writes about a book on the Underground Economy of the Poor in Chicago. Interesting information. And finally, my entry from The DC Traveler is about the showing of the many mini “indie” films created at the recent 48-Hour Fim Project in Washington, DC. [...]
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