22nd Annual Cinco de Mayo Festival
Longmont Gathered to Celebrate at Roosevelt Park
On Saturday, May 3rd, Roosevelt Park came alive with color, culture, and community spirit as thousands gathered for the 22nd Annual Longmont Celebrates Cinco de Mayo.
What began as a local celebration has grown into one of the city’s biggest yearly cultural events, drawing an estimated 7,000 attendees to honor Latino heritage and encourage community connection.
While Cinco de Mayo is often misunderstood as Mexico’s Independence Day, the holiday commemorates the Mexican militia’s victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Longmont’s celebration embraces this historical significance while expanding its focus to highlight the richness of Latino culture and the diversity of the Longmont community.
This year’s event featured a vibrant lineup of live music and traditional dance performances, a stunning classic car show, and the crowd-favorite breakdance competition. Families enjoyed a wide variety of free children’s activities, while attendees explored booths hosted by local vendors, community organizations, and health-focused initiatives.
As music echoed through the park and the scent of tacos and tamales filled the air, Longmont showed once again that Cinco de Mayo is more than a party.
Rows of gleaming machines covered the park like a chrome-plated parade, each one a masterpiece of motion and memory. Candy-colored lowriders crouched and tilted on hydraulics, their bodies slick with polish and trimmed with intricate pinstriping and airbrushed murals.
Engines growled softly beneath hoods propped like proud chests, some purring, others roaring with custom exhausts tuned to perfection. Chrome spinners, whitewall tires, and gold-plated grilles dazzled under the sun, drawing chatter and selfies from passersby. These weren’t just cars, they were canvases, declarations of style, identity, and love for the craft.
At the heart of the park, a circle pulsed with energy as the “Mexican Standoff” breakdance competition took flight—literally. High-flying B-boys and B-girls launched themselves into the air, spinning like tops, twisting into freezes, and contorting with impossible rhythm. They hopped, dropped, popped, and locked to every beat thumping through the speakers, their bodies telling stories of grit, joy, and defiance.
Spectators packed in tight, eyes wide and voices raised in unison with every backflip and windmill. Cheers erupted, hands clapped, and cell phones flew up to catch the action—the crowd, like the dancers, couldn’t keep still, circling the show with sway and say.
The vendor aisles buzzed with a carnival-like chaos, a vibrant market of motion and melody. Booths overflowed with color—woven textiles, sugar skulls, painted pottery, glittering jewelry, and handmade crafts danced under flapping tents.
Children flew between stands, faces painted and smudged, clutching whooshing flags, while the scent of sizzling meat, roasted corn, and sweet churros filled the air. Each breeze brought a new temptation: the tang of lime from tacos al pastor, the smoke of grilled meats, the cinnamon sugar on fresh fried dough.
The music from the nearby stage blended into a joyful cacophony—trumpets blaring, guitars strumming, drums pounding. It was a full-on sensory concerto: spicy, savory, sweet, loud, bright, and beautifully alive.
A Call to Action
The Longmont Herald wants to grow, and we need YOUR talent to help tell the stories of our incredible community.
Are you a writer, photographer, marketer, or creative looking to build your portfolio, gain experience, or simply contribute to something meaningful? Join our team of locals shaping Longmont’s next big publication!
This is a volunteer opportunity, perfect for:
Aspiring photographers who want their work showcased.
Writers passionate about local news, arts, and culture.
Marketing enthusiasts ready to connect.
Creatives who want to leave their mark on the community.
This is a volunteer opportunity perfect for anyone wanting to:
Gain hands-on experience in digital publishing.
Build a robust portfolio or resume.
Be part of a growing, hyper-local publication.
Let’s create something amazing together!
👉 Interested? Email Adam at longmontherald@gmail.com to learn more.
Be part of our story. Be part of the Longmont Herald.