Portland's Cinco de Mayo Fiesta

Portland's Cinco de Mayo Fiesta

Date(s): May 2-May 5
Location: Portland's Tom McCall
Waterfront Park

This year marks the 24th anniversary for the largest Cinco de Mayo Fiesta in North America. Your perennial favorites from Guadalajara, the Ballet Folklorico and Mariachis will be back and performing daily. 

New for the 2008 Fiesta in Portland will will be the Guadalajara Pavilion. It showcase artisans and other successful businesses from Guadalajara, Mexico. Representatives from Guadalajara have taken the reins and promise to provide a distinctive environment and exceptional products for visitors to enjoy.

The Fiesta will start on Friday May 2nd, 2008. Cinco de Mayo falls on a Monday this year so plan accordingly. Fireworks will kick-start the Fiesta, Friday night at 9:45PM.
Restaurants and merchants are being selected for their originality, friendliness and for their overall contribution to the Fiesta atmosphere.
 
2008 will be the 24th birthday for the largest Cinco de Mayo Fiesta in North America. Of course, it wasn’t always that way. It all started in 1983 when a small group of volunteers, looking to celebrate the newly formed sister-city relationship with all of the communities around Portland, decided to create a Cinco de Mayo Fiesta at the Tom McCall Waterfront Park downtowm Portland.

The celebration was modest, with great food and drink. Fully staffed by volunteers who created a safe, family friendly environment. It was a true celebration of Cinco de Mayo and the new mission of the Portland-Guadalajara Sister City Association.

Although the celebration now takes up almost all of the Tom McCall’s Waterfront Park and has around 300,000 visitors over a four day period, the PGSCA strives to maintain their core values and mission objectives by creating a safe event that encourages people of all backgrounds and ages to join us for a healthy dose of culture, entertainment, food and fun.