By Dave Schwab | SDUN Reporter

A tribute to the pride and heritage of Mexican culture, the 28th Annual Fiesta Old Town Cinco de  Mayo, Sat., April 30, from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m., and Sun., May 1, from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., is the largest Cinco de Mayo celebration north of the border.

Spanish for “fifth of May,” Cinco de Mayo, not Mexico’s Independence Day, is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and the United States commemorating the Mexican Army’s unlikely victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. The free, two-day, family-oriented fiesta boasts an incredible variety of festivities and entertainment for all ages, including a special interactive kids area and stage. While kids play, adults can stroll the streets of Old Town listening to sizzling flamenco beats, Norteno flairs or traditional Mariachi music emanating from two live entertainment stages.

Explore the lively streets of the bustling Mercado, or venture over to Lowrider Lane, where you can buy an array of  custom art work—from handmade leather bags to beautiful jewelry, among other treasures that line San Diego Avenue. And be sure to take a ride in a stagecoach, or explore Old Town’s trademark museums and specialty stores.

Afterwards, you can cool off with a refreshing ice-cold cerveza in the beer garden, or become a tequila connoisseur in the high-end tequila sampling area. Restaurants including Café Coyote, Casa Guadalajara, Cold Stone Creamery, Fiesta de Reyes, Fred’s Mexican Café, El Fandango, Miguels, Old Town Mexican Café, Rockin’ Baja Coastal Cantina, Acapulco and Old Town Saloon are also close by to appease your palate.

There is a lot new to recommend in this year’s Cinco de Mayo celebration, said Jenna Thompson, marketing and events coordinator for McFarlane Promotions, which is organizing the festivities. “We’ve invested some money in bringing back some really good entertainment, huge-draw bands performing on two main stages and a third stage for great acts,” she said, adding the kid’s staging area on Harney Street is “really cool.” “Nonprofit organizations are doing interactive activities with the kids—adobe brick making, facepainting, bounce houses, etc.—all completely free and open to the public,” Thompson said.

Also sure to be a crowd pleaser this year is Mexican wrestling. And there are meet-and-greet opportunities for guests to get up close and personal with ballet folklorico and mariachi performers.

“It will be super fun,” promised Thompson. “There’s a lot going on all over Old Town with activities.”

Don’t forget the “tons” of great retail vendors. “You can buy T-shirts, sombreros, and the amount of great Mexican and other food provided by local restaurants for purchase that we have is just amazing. Plus, there’s fun stuff like ice cream and kettle corn,” said Thompson.

Cinco de Mayo is a golden opportunity for restaurants and patrons alike to become better acquainted, noted Darin Essa of Rockin’ Baja Old Town at 3890 Twiggs St. “For the Cinco Fiesta weekend we will be having a booth up on San Diego Avenue where we will be selling tacos and giving people a chance to learn about our restaurant,” he said. “Our restaurant is also doing drink specials that weekend in honor of the Cinco festival.” Noting Cinco de Mayo is very important to the Old Town community as it celebrates a very important historical event, Essa added it drives a lot of traffic through Old Town. “Most Old Town businesses would agree that the weekend before 5/5 up through the actual day are some of our busiest days before summer,” he said. The holiday fiesta’s two main stages are adjacent to the cantina garden offering Corona and Corona Light as well as Cuervo Margaritas.

Wilbert Estrella of Crest Beverage, the beer distributor at Old Town’s fiesta representing the Crown import’s portfolio which includes Corona, Corona Light, Pacifico, Modelo Negra Modelo, Victoria, St Pauli Girl and Tsingtao Beer, helped put together event sponsorship. “I feel Old town is the perfect place to hold this event, because of all the history and heritage behind it: There are so many people that live in San Diego and have not experienced visiting Old town,” said Estrella, whose job includes ensuring all the accounts in the area are decorated with the thematic signage for Cinco de Mayo, as well as guaranteeing a plentiful supply of Ice Cold Corona and Corona Light for the weekend.. This event is a great way for the community to enjoy a great weekend with the family for free, enjoy some authentic Mexican food, see some great Hispanic acts and enjoy history.”

Cointreau Premium Orange Liquor is another sponsor of the Cinco de Mayo Festival in Old Town. “We have been participating for the last 14 years,” said spokesperson Jenifer Jaber. “We are thrilled to support the Old Town community. It’s important to preserve history and celebrate tradition.” Cointreau is one of the main ingredients in the “Original Margarita” recipe. Legend has it that socialite Margarita Sames invented the margarita in 1948. She wanted to make something special and refreshing for her party and used Cointreau, Tequila and Fresh Lime Juice. The party in Mexico lasted two days and since then the Original Margarita has become a signature cocktail.

Bob Barros of Visual Media Group is in charge of the 40 or so event sponsors who give cash or media time which pays for event entertainment, security, advertising and marketing. He said the exposure Cinco de Mayo gives Old Town is hard to underestimate. “It attracts 100,000 to 150,000 people over two days,” he said. “It is a celebration of culture like our Fourth of July. It has become the celebration of Hispanic culture in San Diego.” Who benefits from Cinco de Mayo? “All of the businesses in Old Town,” noted Barros. “But San Diego at-large benefits, as Old Town is a place to remember the roots and culture of Hispanics. It’s a great day to get out and remember when California began.”