It’s time for mariachi and maracas in Downtown Allentown!
The City of Allentown is hosting a series of celebrations from May 3 – 5 as part of the inaugural “Downtown Allentown Cinco de Mayo Weekend,” in partnership with Tacos Y Tequila Restaurant.
Allentown Mayor Ray O’Connell, Community & Economic Development Director Leonard Lightner and Tacos Y Tequila owner Ramiro Bravo announced the weekend of festivities at a news conference late this morning on Hamilton Street.
A themed pub crawl will get underway at 8:00 PM on Friday, May 3 at popular downtown venues including The Hamilton, Queen City BBQ, Macho’s, Fegley’s Brew Works, Tacos Y Tequila, and Bell Hall. Registration is $5.00 per person, which includes a commemorative cup that is valid for drink specials all weekend. Visit
www.eventbrite.com/DA5deMayo to sign up.
Saturday, May 4 will feature a “Tastes of Mexico” event in the Arts Park, located at 5th & Court streets. From 3:00 PM – 6:00 PM come enjoy Mexican-inspired appetizers from a variety of local restaurants, all at a price tag of $5.00 or less. The event will also include Mexican dance and musical performances by Mariachi Maya Internacional and Sin Fronteras from the Interlace Cultural y Desarrollo Integral Mexicano de LV, Inc., and family-geared interactive activities.
The signature weekend event will be a fantastico block party on Sunday, May 5 from 12:00 PM – 10:00 PM, anchored by Tacos Y Tequila restaurant, and held on Hamilton Street from 5th to Seventh streets. The block party will feature kids activities, a pop-up beer garden, spirit sampling, backyard games, a photo booth, and more! There will be live music throughout the event, culminating in the popular, crowd-drawing band, Go Go Gadget to close out the day’s entertainment.
“I’m proud to host this new series of events in our vibrant downtown,” said Allentown Mayor Ray O’Connell. “Allentown has a rich cultural diversity, and I hope we can all come together and celebrate Cinco de Mayo in a different way.”
“We were happy to welcome Tacos Y Tequila as a business in Allentown this past fall, and excited to see the enthusiasm in putting together this Cinco de Mayo Weekend initiative,” said Community & Economic Development Director Leonard Lightner. “I expect this will be one of many new ideas and events to come out of our downtown business community leaders.”
Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, is a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War.
It bolstered a movement that with the support of the United States eventually led to the withdrawal of French forces in 1867.
Areas of the United States have come to mark Cinco de Mayo as the beginning of the warmer weather/outdoor season and a celebration of our neighbor’s Mexican culture and heritage.
For more information on the entire weekend’s events, visit
www.DA5deMayo.com.
Supporters and partners in this initiative include City Center Allentown and Downtown Allentown Business Alliance.
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