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Thousands Fill the National Mall for
National Cinco de Mayo Festival 2008
A record crowd of more than 15,000 people enjoyed a glorious day of music, dance and fun at the 16th annual National Cinco de Mayo Festival at the Washington Monument near the White House.
“This was the biggest crowd we’ve ever had,” said Maru Montero, founder of the national event in Washington, DC. “The weather was perfect, the bands were popular and there was a lot of buzz. Our fans look forward to this big party every year on the Sunday closest to May 5.”
The day began with music and dance performances on two stages, craft workshops for children, a mini-rodeo of Mexican cowboys, tacos and other food from Latin America, an art show and other activities - all designed to celebrate the rich culture of Latinos living in the United States.
“Officially, Cinco de Mayo is a Mexican holiday, but we have turned it into a day of celebration for all Latinos living here and for all Americans who enjoy the culture,” Montero said. “Our Festival is like the Latino St. Patrick’s Day. That’s why we say, ‘On Cinco de Mayo, everybody’s Latino.’”
The free Festival is made possible by Founding Sponsor Freddie Mac Foundation, Gold Sponsor Target and Silver Sponsor the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities. Media sponsors are Univision and Washington Hispanic newspaper.
The Festival opened with Mariachi Los Amigos, accompanied by singer Jose Jimenez, and the Maru Montero Dance Company performing traditional Mexican folk dances. Horns blaring, the musicians in their fine black suits led the crowd on the Parade of Mariachis across the Washington Monument grounds to the corral of horses ridden by the beautifully dressed families from the Asociacion de Charros de Virginia.
The crowd was drawn to the main stage by the rhythmic pre-Hispanic drumming of the Maru Montero dancers dressed in feathers and shells performing the Aztec warrior dance Concheros. Fraternidad Pachama Bolivian dancers dressed in traditional native costumes performed the Quechua dance called Tinku.
Verny Varela brought everyone back to this century with his signature big-band salsa sound. Amanda Gill and the DC Casineros invited members of the audience for a salsa dance contest. The winning couple – judged by the applause of the audience - received two tickets to see the comedian George Lopez, known as “America’s Mexican.”
With DJ and Latino rapper Cristopolis as the master of ceremonies, Banda Morena cranked up the volume with the accordion-led polka sound of Northern Mexico’s banda music. Karla Suarez and Alfonso Prado performed a pasito duranguense and led a banda dance contest with the crowd.
Grupo Folklorico Tangare performed Afrocolombian music and dance, joined by El Salvador’s own Los Hermanos Lovo for a pair of cumbias.
By late afternoon on a perfect sunny day, the crushing crowd of thousands of families filled the grass from the Washington Monument to the Sylvan Theater stage. The main act was Oro Solido, led by “The President of Merengue” Raul Acosta. The New Jersey-based band came to the Festival courtesy of media sponsor Univision and special guest newscaster Mario Sol.
Meanwhile in the Children’s Pavilion, kids made their own piñatas, braided strands of colored yarn for their hair and constructed dancing puppets, paper flowers, Aztec warrior headdresses and Native American dream catchers. The famous caller Marcos led round after round of La Loteria or Mexican bingo. Winners went home with colored sombreros, t-shirts and other prizes.
At the mercado or market, Festival goers were given free Cinco de Mayo t-shirts, floppy sombreros, cowboy hats, paper flowers, bilingual books donated by Scholastic, and other gifts.
The Smithsonian National Natural History Museum brought artisans from Mexico City’s Museo de Arte Popular who taught how to make nochestli, which is painting with the tiny bugs cochineal, and finger puppets representing some of the ocean animals that live off the coast of Mexico. There also were presentations of the annual migration of monarch butterflies to Mexico by Alfonso Alonso, a biologist at the National Zoo.
Next to the Children’s Pavilion was the Global Stage, featuring performances by Bailes de Mi Tierra, karaoke with Jose Jimenez and Maria Sanchez, Grupo Alafia’s music and dance from Cuba, Cachito El Bufon and the romantic music of Trio Cristal.
Strolling through the crowd and posing for pictures with young and old was the famous pair of TV twins: Maya and Miguel.
This year was the first-ever display of visual art from top area artists. There were painters and sculptors including Joan Belmar of Chile, Nigel Biggar of Canada, Eve Hennessa of the United States, Suzanne Ioannides of Brazil, Ricardo Peñuela-Pava of Colombia, Katya Romero of Ecuador, and Gloria Valdes of México.
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