Fiestas Patrias, a celebration of Latino culture and independence, is coming back to Fresno for the first time since 2018.
The event will kick off with a parade along Fulton Street on Saturday at 11 a.m.
“We are returning the festival for the purpose of helping folks reconnect with their culture, their history, their culinary traditions,” says Fresno City Councilmember Miguel Arias.
The day will be filled with traditional dances, children’s activities and lots of food from Latin America.
“You will see dozens of mobile food vendors and small food vendors who are selling their elotes, their tacos, their fruit right in the middle of this festival,” says Arias. “We want to make sure that they, too, benefit from this economic activity.”
Tickets to a concert featuring Paquita la del Barrio and Pancho Barraza Saturday evening at Selland Arena are $40. But Dora Westerlund, CEO and founder of the Fresno Area Hispanic Foundation, says some special guests will get in for free.
“It is a way to recognize our essential workers, our heroes, the farm workers of Central Valley,” she says.
Organizers are expecting more than 10,000 people to attend. Fulton Street will be closed from Fresno Street to Tulare Street for Fiestas Patrias and from Tulare Street to Mono Street for Oktoberfest.
If you are a farmworker, contact David Preciado at (832) 266-2235 to learn more about the free admission.
This story is part of the Central Valley News Collaborative, which is supported by the Central Valley Community Foundation with technology and training support by Microsoft Corp.
