West Side Cinco de Mayo fiesta returns May 2-3
By Jake Spitzack | Staff Writer | May 2025
Clear your calendar and call your friends – the West Side Cinco de Mayo fiesta is back, and this time for two days. Cesar Chavez Street between Robert and Ada will be transformed into a colorful block party filled with lively music, mouth-watering eats and a host of family-friendly activities. Festivities take place 5-9 p.m., May 2, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m., May 3, and about 20,000 people are expected to attend. This is the second year the community-based Westside Fiestas committee has worked with the Westside Boosters to produce the regionally renowned and community favorite event, which dates to 1985. Formerly, it was organized by the St. Paul Festival and Heritage Foundation, which cancelled the event in 2020 and 2021 due to the pandemic and chose not to revive it.
Julián Córdova won this year’s button competition and buttons can be purchased by contacting the Westside Cinco de Mayo committee at info@westsidecincodemayo.com. However, a button is not required for admission to the fiesta. Proceeds from the fiesta support the Westside Boosters Youth Sports League, a nonprofit youth sports organization that provides athletic opportunities for youth of all abilities and financial statuses. The following events were accurate as of press time but are subject to change.
Car show – A fleet of fine-tuned and freshly polished lowriders, hot rods, motorcycles and other custom cars will once again line the festival streets for the annual car show. It’s held 6 p.m., May 2, at 179 E. Robie St. A hop/bounce contest will take place, and prizes will be awarded to entrants in various categories.
Parade
The iconic parade kicks off at 10 a.m., May 3, at the intersection of Wabasha and Cesar Chavez, and travels down Cesar Chavez to Ada. Colorful floats, folkloric dancers, bands and members of the community will participate. Longtime West Side Boosters volunteer and coach Danny Franco will lead the way as this year’s grand marshal.
Music and entertainment
Three stages will be on the fiesta grounds on May 3. The R&B Stage at Robert and Cesar Chavez features Twin River, noon; The Santana Project, 1 p.m.; High and Mighty, 3 p.m.; and Pepe Márquez with special guest DJ Dime, 5 p.m. The Tex-Mex Stage at State and George will feature performances by Ricardo Castillón y la Diferenzia, Mambito y los Champs, Los Rebeldes and more. The Cultural Performances Stage at Parque de Castillo will feature local performers and groups. Additionally, a Family Zone will be set up in Parque Castillo featuring crafts and activities, and an artisan market and many food vendors.
Live pro wrestling
“Cinco Chaos at Boca Chica!” is held noon-3 p.m., May 3, at Boca Chica. It features live pro wrestling by Midwest All-Star Wrestling. General admission is free, but limited ringside tickets are $20.
Softball tournament
An adult softball tournament will take place at Gilbert de la O Field behind the Wellstone Center. Games are held on Saturday, May 3. The tournament has been organized by the Boosters since 1988.
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History and background
The celebration, always held the weekend around May 5, once attracted more than 100,000 attendees over a full weekend of events and had been called one of the top 10 largest Cinco de Mayo fiestas in the nation. It was first organized by the Riverview Economic Development Association and grew from a small community festival to a regional attraction. However, it became too much for the small nonprofit to manage and in 2009 the event was transferred to the St. Paul Festival & Heritage Foundation, which also organizes the St. Paul Winter Carnival. The foundation eventually reduced the festival to one day then stopped organizing it after cancelling for two years because of the pandemic. In 2022, a small Cinco de Mayo event was organized on the West Side by Reis Romero, a former volunteer with the traditional Cinco de Mayo West Side St. Paul. The West Side Boosters, established in 1970, plans to help organize the event for the foreseeable future and would like to see it return to a similar scale as it once was. The nonprofit can provide significant help because of a $1.4 million grant it received from the state’s Explore Minnesota Department in summer 2023 to fund cultural events. In addition to making sure Cinco keeps thriving, it uses some of the funds for its annual Football Fiesta in September in conjunction with Mexican Independence Day.
Cinco de Mayo (May 5) commemorates the unlikely victory at the Battle of Puebla, in Mexico’s state of Puebla, of a struggling Mexican army over Napoleon III’s massive French army in 1862. This was the first time the French Army had been defeated in decades. Although the French regrouped and overtook Mexico City, the Puebla battle is remembered for the euphoria it created, as well as the hope and patriotism, not just in Mexico but among Mexicans living in California at the time.
To volunteer at the fiesta, call Ana at 651-230-9195. For more information, visit stpaulwestsidefiestas.com.
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