Fiesta Broadway

Fiesta Broadway is an annual event held in downtown Los Angeles to celebrate Cinco de Mayo, Mexican culture and Latin American culture in general. Modeled on Miami's Calle Ocho Festival and harking back to the early 20th-century Fiesta de Los Angeles, it features vendors and musical acts.[1][2] At its peak, Fiesta Broadway stretched for 36 blocks centered on a long stretch of Broadway and attracted hundreds of thousands of visitors. More recently it has been confined to a few blocks around 1st Street and Broadway and has seen attendance shrink to as little as 7,000.[3][4] Although the holiday of Cinco de Mayo falls on 5 May which is the meaning of its Spanish name, Fiesta Broadway is always held on the last Sunday in April, since 1995. One exception is 2020, when it was first rescheduled, then cancelled in light of the George Floyd protests and banishing of gatherings of over 250 people, besides the coronavirus pandemic.

Fiesta Broadway
GenreFestival
FrequencyAnnual
Location(s)Downtown Los Angeles
Coordinates34°03′13″N 118°14′44″W
CountryUnited States
Years active30
Established1990 (1990)
Previous event28/04/2019
Next event25/04/2021

History

1990: The first L.A. Fiesta Broadway drew a crowd that was estimated at 500,000. This was the first large-scale attempt to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Los Angeles. A partnership of city officials, KMEX-TV and downtown merchants paid for the $1 million festival, which was taped and telecast over the Spanish-language Univision Network.[1]

1991: The second L.A. Fiesta Broadway cost $2 million and stretched over 36 blocks from Temple Street to Olympic Boulevard, along Hill Street, Broadway and Spring Street. The first year's festival had occupied only 12 blocks on Broadway.The array of performers included the Latin American sensation Xuxa, Lucha Villa, La Prieta Linda and jazz greats Tito Puente and Poncho Sanchez. Other entertainers representing 15 Latin American countries included Fandango, José José and Johnny Canales.[5][6]

1992: An estimated 600,000 people turned out, attracted in part by a variety of musical acts on nine stages, including Menudo and Selena. Many corporations also sponsored booths at the event.[7][8]

1994: There was a serious incident and investigation for the fifth L.A. Fiesta Broadway was shut down early by police after a rock and bottle throwing melee broke out was seriously investigated. The immediate cause of the disturbance was the closure of the KPWR-FM (Power 106) stage due to overcrowding was under-investigation. The crowd was estimated at between 200,000 and 500,000. Only 10 people were arrested and jailed.[9]

1995: Tightened security was brought in to prevent a recurrence of the previous year's violence. The headlining performer was Cuban salsa star Celia Cruz, who was joined by artists as varied as Thalia, La Mafia, Pedro Fernandez, Marc Anthony, and Rey Ruiz. There were complaints that Univision's annual taping of the festival for broadcast led to the use of lip syncing.[10]

1996: Corporate sponsorship began to dominate what was now known as AT&T Fiesta Broadway. 105 companies participated, as opposed to 50 the previous year, paying $10,000 for a booth or $200,000 for a stage. Attendance declined, reaching only between 150,000 and 170,000.[11][12]

2003: NBC Channel 4 (Los Angeles) aired a one-hour television special "Fiesta Broadway: Music for the Soul" directed at a mainstream audience. This was also McDonald's fourth year as title sponsor of the fiesta.[13]

2010: The 21st Fiesta Broadway adopted a smaller street plan to reduce traffic, closing only 19 blocks.[14]

2013: Fiesta Broadway contracted further to a cluster of streets around City Hall. Organisers expected attendance of around 100,000.[15]

2015: While organisers continued to bill Fiesta Broadway as the largest Cinco de Mayo festival in the world, attendance dwindled to 7,000 according to police estimates. The festival's decline has been attributed to the gentrification of the neighborhood.[3][4]

2020: Fiesta Broadway was to be in its 31st straight year. Although it was rescheduled for 14 June from 26 April due to the COVID-19 pandemic, mayor Eric Garcetti, besides All Access Entetainment, cancels it.

2021: Event will resume for the 31st edition.

References
  1. Wride, Nancy and Legon, Jeordan (30 April 1990). L.A. Fiesta Broadway Draws 500,000 People: Cinco de Mayo: Kickoff of week of events was the largest cultural block party downtown since 1986. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  2. Cecilia Rasmussen (27 April 2003). "Downtown's Fiesta Began as a Multicultural Celebration". Los Angeles Times.
  3. Khan, Amina (26 April 2015). Fiesta Broadway draws crowd to downtown Los Angeles. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  4. Jamison, Peter (24 April 2016). With thinner crowds in a smaller space, Fiesta Broadway feels deeply diminished. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  5. Kleid, Beth (18 April 1991). 2nd L.A. Fiesta Promises 36 Blocks of Culture, Fun. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  6. Snyder, Russell (28 April 1991). Revelers jam downtown for 'L.A. Fiesta.' UPI Archives. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  7. Canalis, John (26 April 1992). L.A. hosts nation's biggest Cinco de Mayo party. UPI Archives. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  8. Fiesta Broadway 2007. www.csun.edu. Retrieved 22 August 2016.
  9. Reich, Kenneth and Boyer, Edward J. (2 May 1994). Melees Bring Early Closure of Fiesta Broadway. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  10. Cobo-Hanlon, Leila (29 April 1995). Getting Ready for Dancing in the Streets: Musical Variety--and Tighter Security--Are on Tap for Sixth Annual Fiesta Broadway. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  11. Brooks, Nancy Rivera (27 April 1996). Corporations Now Party to Fiesta Broadway. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  12. Kennedy, J. Michael and Krikorian, Greg (29 April 1996). Fiesta Proves a Tougher Sell With Crowds. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  13. Music and Culture of Fiesta Broadway Focus of NBC4 Special Airing Saturday, 3 May From 19:00-20:00 PDT. Business Wire. 16 April 2003. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
  14. Vives, Ruben (24 April 2010). Fiesta Broadway returns Sunday. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved August 23, 2016.
  15. Lin II, Jung-Kung (28 April 2013). 100,000-plus expected downtown for Fiesta Broadway. Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 23 August 2016.
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