April 28, 2025 • 29 mins
Get ready to fiesta, Houston! This week on Spotlight Houston, we're taking you inside the 2025 Cinco de Mayo East End Street Fest, one of Houston’s biggest family-friendly celebrations! Host Blanca Quezada chats with Lupe Olivares, Festival Director, about everything this FREE event has to offer.
Experience live shows from Grammy-winning Sunny Sauceda, the rock-Latin fusion band Del Castillo, and local favorites like Sam Knight and Zenteno Spirit. Dance to ballet folklórico, groove with Aztec dancers, cheer at lucha libre matches, and marvel at a mini Cirque du Soleil-style acrobat show!
Come hungry! Sample Houston’s best Mexican food at top restaurants like Ninfa’s, El Tiempo, and Merida, or choose from more than 30 food trucks serving up tacos, antojitos, and more.
Find all festival details at: https://www.eastendstreetfest.com.
Start the party early with the Cinco de Mayo Parade Downtown: https://www.lulacd8.com
Key points discussed:
- What makes the East End Cinco de Mayo Festival a can't-miss Houston event
- Live music from Sunny Sauceda, Del Castillo, Sam Knight, and more
- Ballet folklórico, Aztec dancers, mariachis, lucha libre, and circus shows
- Top food from Ninfa’s, Merida, El Tiempo, and 30+ food trucks
- Family-friendly activities: kids' zones, artisan vendors, and cultural exhibits
- Festival tips: parking, seating, and what to bring for 2025
New episodes drop every Monday!
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
(00:00):
It goes back a little further than that. It it
(00:03):
actually originated, the roots of it, in
02/2008, at the in the parking
lot of the Bohemios Tlaquepaque market in the East
End. We we started there. We did that for a
few years before moving it over to,
the Esplanade where it is now, and we've been there since.
(00:25):
So it's, yes. It's it's been a good while. We slowly
cultivating the festival, over the years. And,
and even through COVID, we, we we had,
virtual festival. We were one of the only ones
that, at Talento Bilingue Theater, we went ahead and
and and did, no audience,
(00:49):
performances, and we and we streamed the festival those two
years of COVID. So we kept it going.
And so now here we are in 2025. You know? Yeah. It's
something else. Yeah.
Thank you for joining us for another episode of Spotlight Houston, where we bring
(01:11):
you the best people, places, and events in Greater Houston. Today, we're
diving into the vibrant and colorful Cinco de Mayo East End Street Festival.
Our host, Blanca Quesada, is joined by Lupio Divale's festival
director. He shares all the exciting details about this free family
friendly event. From live music performances to Ballet
Folklorico dancers, Aztec performances, Lucha Libre
(01:32):
wrestling, and even a circus style acrobat show. We'll talk
about all the delicious food waiting for you from legendary Houston spots like
Ninjas, El Tiempo, and Merida, plus more than 30 food trucks.
If you're looking for the perfect place to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Houston this
year, you don't wanna miss this free event. This is episode one
thirty five with an original air date of Monday,
(01:53):
04/28/2025. Spotlight Houston is brought to you
by Storyzone Media. And now here's your host, Blanca Quesada.
Hi, everyone. Do you know where you're gonna be celebrating
Cinco de Mayo? And if you don't have any idea
yet, I've got a great suggestion, and I'm talking great
suggestion. Have you heard of the East End Houston?
(02:17):
Well, it's a very historic area.
It's very vibrant and diverse community.
It's located between the Port Of Houston downtown
close to Daikin Park, formerly Minute
Maid, and the Hobby Airport. And,
(02:37):
just in case you haven't been there, let me tell you, This is the
best place to go and celebrate and have a
really, really great time. And it's, you know, for everyone,
including the kids. And what I think about it is
that it actually feels like you've taken a
mini vacation without really traveling, and you find yourself
(02:59):
in the middle of somewhere in Mexico. It is it is
incredible. And, and it's got great music
and the aromas of the food are fantastic. Lots to
do, lots to see. And every year,
this Cinco de Mayo celebration seems to be getting
bigger and bigger. So and I I think this
(03:22):
year, it promises to be just as big or bigger,
actually. So with me today is
Lupe Olivares. He is the director of the
Cinco de Mayo Festival. And welcome to the show, Lupe.
Couldn't wait to talk to you because I wanna hear what's
happening this year because I've been getting some great news
(03:43):
about it. Well, thank you, Blanca, for having me on the show
this evening. Yes. We're really excited
this year. Well, every year, you know, we we always
make it a little bigger, a little better. And More
exciting. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And since COVID, you
know, it took a little while to come back, but, we're back.
(04:06):
And, we, we're located
three blocks on navigation, the historical,
esplanade on navigation, the 2,500 block all the way to
the 2700 block. We close the streets. We
have, a lot of, security to
make it the place really safe. We have,
(04:28):
over five entertainment areas this year, throughout
You see what I mean about it getting bigger? Yes.
Yes. At at our kids
zone, we have a a
circus, of acrobats. It's, it's Oh, yeah.
Sort of a French type thing, very like a mini,
(04:50):
circus soleil, but it's called Circus Levy. And,
they're gonna put on two forty five minute shows,
during the time of the festival. The festival this year, we start a little later.
We start at 3PM, and we're going to 9PM this
year. Okay. This is what we used to do, twelve to
(05:11):
six. You know, we just did a lot of research and, you know, there's a
lot of people that work on Saturday, and and we wanted to give
them a a chance to get off of get off from their job
and and come to the festival, you know, and enjoy all the
different entertainment areas that we have Yeah. This year. And
and this is a festival that's been going on. I was talking about it
(05:33):
being, around for a very long time. And this festival
has been going since 2012. Right? Well, yes.
It goes back a little further than that. It it
actually originated, the roots of it, in
02/2008, at the in the parking
lot of the Bohemios Tlackett pocket market in the East
(05:55):
End. We we started there. We did that for a
few years before moving it over to,
the Esplanade where it is now, and we've been there since.
So it's, yes. It's it's been a good while. We
slowly cultivating the festival, over the
years. And, and even through COVID, we, we
(06:18):
we had, virtual festival. We were one
of the only ones that, at Talento Bilingue Theater, we went
ahead and and and did, no
audience, performances, and we and we streamed the
festival those two years of COVID. So we kept
it going. And so now here we are in 2025. You
(06:40):
know? Yeah. It's something else. Yeah. Well, you started
mentioning the the Cirque that you've got, kind of like Cirque
du Soleil, but it's Cirque La Vie? Cirque du Soleil. Yes.
They're, amazing acrobats. The kids are gonna love it.
That's one of our five entertainment areas. The other are Yeah.
Who who else who else have you got, in these,
(07:04):
plaza areas? Yes. Well,
in next to the kids area, there's a area that we call
the the Noche De Cumbia area, and,
Wonky Power is sponsoring that that area.
They're bringing in a stage and and and a lot of
new style of electronic cumbia that's really big
(07:26):
amongst the youth the youth these days. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
And, the the plazas there's two plazas. There's Plaza De
Pinatas and Plaza De Luchas. And,
on our Plaza De Pinatas, which is in the middle of the
esplanade, we're gonna have, three different,
(07:46):
dancers throughout the day. They're,
Las Semel Folklorico. Oh, they're really good. Yeah.
Also, Mexico
Vibe, and, and LaPiel. They're they're very
good. A student we usually, you know, book a lot of
student, schools, because, you
(08:08):
know, this is what it's for. It's for community building and and and what
we do here. It's for people of all ages. Exactly.
The other plaza, Plaza De La the Luchas
is exactly that. We're gonna have Lucha there. Oh, wow.
Yeah. We're gonna have Rio Luchadores coming in. With a
mask and all? Oh, yeah. It's called Wow. Libre,
(08:31):
it's it's being brought by, Coliseo Houston, and
they they're located here in the East End. And every Sunday, they
have Lucha Libre at their gym. Yeah. And, it's the
real deal. I mean, these guys are, semi professional, but
they're, like, really, really good. And and, I bet they're gonna
be very entertaining, especially for the kids. Oh, yeah. And
(08:53):
speaking of the kids, in between the matches, the kids
can get up on the ring and and do their own, you
know. Oh. So it's interactive. You know?
Uh-huh. Those are our two plazas, Plaza De Luchas
De La Pinatas, Circus De La Vie The
excuse me. The Plaza De Las Pinatas, are kids gonna be able
(09:15):
to break pinatas or adults break pinatas? It
is just called that. But this is what we
have, Bale Folklorico. We have Mariachi singers. We have
more of the traditional Cinco de Mayo sound in that in that
area. Oh, okay. The same with the Plaza
Plaza De Luz De Luzas. There'll be the there'll
(09:38):
be a a DJ that plays all the traditional
music. And, we also have a, a tribute to the Queen of
Tejano sung by Carla G. She's really
wonderful. She'll be singing two different shows, one at the
Plaza De Pinatas, 1 at Plaza De Luchas in
between the matches. But our our
(09:59):
grand gem of the stage, our main stage,
the the My my understanding is that you're going to have a lot of, or
several, actually, award winning, musicians.
Yes. Our main stage is going to host, three
three artists on the stage. There'll be some dancing, a stethoscope
(10:20):
dancing off the stage in between the musical,
program. But, Sam Knight
is a local, a local artist
that, during the Astros last,
world series, he won the contest for
the best Houston Astro world series song.
(10:43):
And Oh, wow. He's become very popular. He's gonna
open the show, on the main stage.
One of our co headliners is Sonny Salsera.
He's three three time Grammy winner, in the Tejanos,
genre here. Here in Yeah. He's really good. Yeah. He's
really good. Two years ago, he was at the,
(11:07):
accordion case and queens here at the Miller Theater, and it just
electrified 5,000 people on the hill. It was unbelievable.
He's he's amazing. He's a great guy, great father.
His band is super, super cool, and the sound is
so different from any other Tejano bands that I've seen
before. And they're all Yeah. He's pretty original. He is.
(11:31):
And then our main headliner is, from Austin,
Texas, Del Castillo. They're this is a family
band. The the last name, Del Castillo, is Mark and
Rick and another one of their brothers. And they
are an amazing band. They've they've been on many,
movies, soundtracks, Robert Rodriguez
(11:55):
movies, Quentin Tarantino movies. Yeah. I
think he did some music for Bill Kill. Yes. They
did. Kill Bill. I'm sorry. Because Kill Bill. Yeah. Let let let let let me
know. For Once Upon a Time in Mexico with,
Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts. Yes. Really? They're
major. Oh, yeah. They are. They just got off the road with,
(12:17):
Los Lonely Boys. They they were in Europe, and I they they're
all over the place. They're wonderful friends of mine. I'm happy to
say that I I've shared the stage with them before,
and, they're just a joy to have around, you know, and
it reflects in their music. They're very passionate in
their music. It's just it's a it's a sort of a new
(12:40):
genre that they've helped to create. It's it's a flamenco
rock. You know? Yeah. It's sort of Gypsy Kings.
They're unique. They're unique. It's a it's a it's like
the Gypsy Kings meets, Carlos Santana.
Oh, wow. Unbelievable. You know? They're they're very, very, very
good. Just great songs. And, so yes.
(13:03):
And and, obviously, the food is gonna be amazing.
We have access in that in that footprint.
We have access to five world class
restaurants. We have Merida, Dona Maria's,
Nimfa's, Jonathan's The Rub, and El
(13:23):
Tiempo. Yeah. All all within walking distance.
Those are great. You know, with last year, we had over
6,000 people show up. So we have great food
trucks and also, for different kinds of food
trucks from tacos to chicken to,
Antojitos, Mexicanos. You know? Yeah. And,
(13:46):
Gotta have both. Yeah. So, so there
you're you're not gonna go hungry. That's for sure. Our
our official, beer this year, our sponsor
is, Silver Eagle. They're going to, we're going to
have, Modelo and Corona and some
other, Silver Eagle products. I'm sure Bud Light, you know,
(14:08):
Budweiser, and, and and and other products
that they that they, distribute, great sponsors.
They've helped a lot because this is a free festival. You know?
And it and it and it's, it takes a a lot of planning, and it
takes a lot of, sponsorships and grants to put
this together. The East End Management District, cultural
(14:31):
district here in the East End, The,
Improvement Corporation here in the East End have have always
been great supporters of the festival,
and, have always, brought in the sponsors
to, to help this happen because without the
sponsors, we just can't do it. Right. Right. And I'm sure
(14:54):
that next year's festival, you'll start planning it right
after this one shuts down. Right? I like to take at least a month off,
you know? But there's a lot to do because, once
everybody gets there, they're going to see how exciting and vibrant
it is, all the different colors, the music, and there's just
a lot of excitement going on. And like you said, you
(15:16):
have five areas, five stages or
plaza where you can decide, hey, I wanna go hear this
guy or I wanna go see these dancers or hear
this music. Are you having mariachis this year? Yes.
We have, Tess Armando will be performing twice
at the Plaza De Pinatas. See? So we have a choice.
(15:40):
We have a choice of who we wanna go see. Oh, you know, and I
forgot to mention because we have so many different areas.
We have a thing on the Esplanade. It's called,
the music box. And Oh, what's the music
box? The music box is, we use
the music box year round at the Esplanade,
(16:03):
and it's part of the East End Market every Sunday,
that, that Julian Garcia runs on Sundays
with all the the vendors, and and he brings in and
hires bands and things. So in this music box, it's a container
that's been painted like a colorful, boom box,
(16:24):
and the doors open and it becomes a stage. And,
we're going to have a Tejano band called the Dukes. They're here
from the East End. All these bands are here from the East End.
Dimekasi, Tequila Vibe, and the Centeno
Spirit from the Centeno family will be performing there. Oh, wow.
They should be really good. The Centeno's very well known
(16:46):
family. Yes. Yes. So they'll be, performing
there. And, we encourage people to bring,
you know, we have some seating, but we expect a
big crowd. So bring bring your fold chairs here,
your folding chairs. That way you can sit down wherever and and
listen to whatever you wanna hear and and all that. You know?
(17:10):
You know, bring your bring your, your folding
chairs, but don't don't don't bring your coolers
because, you know, we have to help the vendors that are selling things
here. You know? Yeah. I mean, you have 30 local food vendors
Oh, yes. That are going to be there. Yeah. Food vendors and then and
and and, you know, they sell waters and Cokes and whatever. You know, they
(17:32):
sell iced teas and and we we have to, you know,
bring your cash or your credit card. Usually,
we it's, it's cashless nowadays. You know? It
just Yeah. Everybody pays with their debit And,
support the, the local economy. The
the festival is free, and, you you're gonna have access to
(17:55):
five different stages with top of the line
professional world renowned artists. Yeah. So come
and help and and and invest in our local economy with our
local leaders, arts and crafts, food, and drinks. Yeah.
You know? Yeah. And I know that because it's in the community, a lot
of people ride bikes. Can they come in with their bikes?
(18:17):
Yes. Bring your bikes. I mean, once it gets pretty crowded,
you'll just have to walk them or lock them up. You know? I mean, the
blocks are they're old blocks from back in the day. You know? They're
not like the big giant city blocks, but Right.
This is a very historic area. This is, this is where,
(18:37):
the fajita became famous. You know? Mama Niphas,
started barbecuing fajitas back in in the
sixties, and nobody knew what they were. And this is a special
area, the the East End. This is Segundo
Barrio, the the we call it Second Ward. You know?
Yeah. It's also right by the the Buffalo Bayou
(19:00):
where actually Houston started, you know, was
founded. So This is the birthplace of Houston, you
know? Yeah. Sunrise is in the East End and you know
Yeah. Yeah. And and and we're very proud of our
area. We we, we with the help of the
management district over the last fifteen, twenty years,
(19:21):
the area has really, really come up in,
in cleanliness, and it's it's it's a it's
a living art gallery. You can drive through this
area and see huge murals everywhere, you know. Yeah.
Beautiful murals. And they tell us Yeah. I was about to say you have a
lot of great artists in the area. So are you going to have
(19:43):
the arts and crafts booths also? Oh, yes.
Yes. Our artists from all local artists
from the Houston area, from the East End.
We're also honoring, a great legend from the
Houston East End that passed away last year in
2024. Fito Olivares, we're
(20:05):
honoring Fito, as,
you know, for his, world renowned
cumbia sound that came out of the East End, and
and and and great songs that are played today to this
day by many artists all over the world
play his cumbias, you know, and Be playing are you gonna be playing
(20:28):
his cumbia music during the cumbia night?
I'm sure they will. I haven't seen their set list,
but, you know, Fito Olivares is not far from,
the list. You know? Juana La Cubana is one of his greatest hits. You
know? Yeah. Yeah. That is fun. That was fun.
So this is happening this Saturday. This festival
(20:51):
is happening this Saturday from three to nine. Right?
May 3. May third. May third from three to nine. I get there a little
bit earlier, and and and and plan
to stay a long time. There's plenty to do. There's plenty to see.
The city of Houston is one of our our sponsors,
(21:12):
and it's, you know, it's it's it's a
professional inner city, wonderful cultural arts
festival. Yeah. And you can just people watch too.
You can people watch as well. You know? Bring in your chairs
and just sit there and people watch. Yes. There's, there's so much things to
do, interact interactive,
(21:37):
things going on all throughout the footprint. You know? And
plenty to do for mom and dads and their kids,
and, plenty of places to sit down and rest.
And, the food court is wonderful.
I, the food court is, sponsored by The Meat Planet,
another one of our great sponsors on navigation.
(22:00):
They they're a meat distributor. They distribute all
the high class restaurants all over the city, you know, and and they
also sell to the public. But, they've, joined,
the last year helping the festival. Like I said, you know,
without our sponsors, it's it's it's not easy to put
this, quality festival together. Yeah. Do you
(22:23):
expect the mayor to show up this year? In the past,
different mayors have shown up. I
they usually send me a a a an email,
but I I haven't heard anything yet. But, of course,
mayor, and and other Still have a few days to go before the
event? Right. Yes. Of course, the mayor and and
(22:45):
other elected officials, from the area are
are welcome to come and enjoy themselves.
You know? And and, you know, the whole thing behind
this festival besides, you know,
the history aspect of the, the Mexicans,
(23:06):
defeating the French in the Battle of Puebla, which is
the historical backdrop to the Cinco de Mayo.
We also, promote, human,
tolerance to other people's cultures, you know, by
by inviting other people to come and enjoy this
culture. Yeah. And enjoy, and
(23:29):
and, enjoy the food, enjoy the music, enjoy the dance,
and, Yeah. And and the from my understanding is that the
East End is very culturally diverse as well.
It is. Over the last twenty years,
you know, the East End let me just back up a little bit. The East
End in the mid eighteen hundreds was, like we
(23:52):
talked about, the birthplace of Houston. Right? And, and it
even wasn't Houston. It was it was called, Harris,
Harrisburg. Over the years, the the East End has,
has hosted many different communities
and cultures. You know, the the Mexicans
were here from when it was Mexico.
(24:15):
And then you had mid eighteen hundreds. You had,
immigrants coming from Eastern Europe, Germans,
Czech, Polish, you know, and Irish people
coming to Texas. In the mid nineteen
hundreds, we had a influx of
Italian, bricklayers. And you see all the old brick around
(24:37):
Houston, that that was built by the Italian immigrants that
came to Houston. And they all settled here in the in the East
End First, and then they started moving out
and creating Houston as we know it. Well, Lupe, thank you so much
for that history lesson that you've given us of, you know, the
the people that came in into that area,
(25:00):
and why that, the East End is so important
to the Houston's communities. Yes.
I'm not a native Houstonian. I I came
here with my family as an 11 year old back in 1970,
and we we moved here to the East End
and, been here ever since.
(25:23):
You've been a witness to the development in that area. You know what?
I just don't yes. And, you know, a lot of my friends, you
know, they moved to the suburbs and all that, and my my brother and all
that, and I just couldn't do it. You know? I just couldn't do it. So
so I stayed in the inner city on this inner city little
rats. That's what we are. As I was mentioning at the beginning
(25:46):
of the show, you know, it's
really like taking a step back into,
Mexico even though you haven't
had to fly or drive or whatever to get
there. But it's like just a blink and you're in
Mexico. And it's it's it's great. It's
(26:08):
great. It's very relaxing, a lot of fun. And,
I mean, you have all the artists, the crafts people,
the food, the music, just the whole
ambiance of the place is it's great. Yes.
It is. You know, I mean, when it's
(26:29):
happening, it it it, you know, you're really tired. You've
been, you know, working at hours and hours. And and when you see
all the kids having fun and, and all the
colors and the music and seeing people or more there. The
food and all that. Yeah. And you just go, right.
And, we just go, wow. This is it's Right. Every
(26:52):
Right. Right. Right. Right. So again, I can enter to
say. From whatever end of the street to get into the
festival. It's free and,
just, you know Yeah. I I I,
if if they can, if they could log on to
eastendstreetfest.com, east end street fest
(27:13):
Com, we have the full lineup, how to
get there, where to go. It's just get there early. It's street
parking. You know? You have to park somewhere,
and, and then walk your way in. Volunteers? There, the
the closer you'll be to the to the gates. It'd be great to have
people volunteer. They can reach me directly,
(27:36):
or they can go to the the website,
easternstreetfest.com, and there's a there's a a
tab there where they can they can, contact.
Okay. So, again, festival
goers can explore more than 30
food trucks, art vendors, enjoy traditional
(27:56):
dance performances, cumbia music, all kinds
of music, diverse music, and
even Cirque du Soleil kind of performance.
Just I mean, it's just so much, so much. I can't even mention it
all. So, Lupe, thank you. Thank you so much
(28:16):
for for being here and,
for letting us know why the East End's historic community is
the best place to be to celebrate the Cinco de
Mayo, festivities. And, but, you know,
we just have to remember that it's going to be this Saturday,
May, from three to nine so that we
(28:38):
we will be there just or be there earlier if you
want. Yeah. Yeah. You know, we are in,
in 2012 is when we moved to the Esplanade,
but we had already done it a few years prior to that.
And, every year, it just gets a little bigger and a little bigger and a
little bigger. So come on and have some fun. You know? Thank you.
(29:02):
And, of course, I'd like to thank you all for for being with me
and for listening to all the great,
festivities happening at the East End for Cinco de Mayo.
But before you get there, make sure that you get to go to the
parade, the Cinco de Mayo parade happening
downtown as well. And then right after that, head on over
(29:25):
to the East End and enjoy all the food and entertainment
that you can. And, of course, make sure that you
send me your comments and any story ideas too.
It goes back a little further than that. It it
(00:03):
actually originated, the roots of it, in
02/2008, at the in the parking
lot of the Bohemios Tlaquepaque market in the East
End. We we started there. We did that for a
few years before moving it over to,
the Esplanade where it is now, and we've been there since.
(00:25):
So it's, yes. It's it's been a good while. We slowly
cultivating the festival, over the years. And,
and even through COVID, we, we we had,
virtual festival. We were one of the only ones
that, at Talento Bilingue Theater, we went ahead and
and and did, no audience,
(00:49):
performances, and we and we streamed the festival those two
years of COVID. So we kept it going.
And so now here we are in 2025. You know? Yeah. It's
something else. Yeah.
Thank you for joining us for another episode of Spotlight Houston, where we bring
(01:11):
you the best people, places, and events in Greater Houston. Today, we're
diving into the vibrant and colorful Cinco de Mayo East End Street Festival.
Our host, Blanca Quesada, is joined by Lupio Divale's festival
director. He shares all the exciting details about this free family
friendly event. From live music performances to Ballet
Folklorico dancers, Aztec performances, Lucha Libre
(01:32):
wrestling, and even a circus style acrobat show. We'll talk
about all the delicious food waiting for you from legendary Houston spots like
Ninjas, El Tiempo, and Merida, plus more than 30 food trucks.
If you're looking for the perfect place to celebrate Cinco de Mayo in Houston this
year, you don't wanna miss this free event. This is episode one
thirty five with an original air date of Monday,
(01:53):
04/28/2025. Spotlight Houston is brought to you
by Storyzone Media. And now here's your host, Blanca Quesada.
Hi, everyone. Do you know where you're gonna be celebrating
Cinco de Mayo? And if you don't have any idea
yet, I've got a great suggestion, and I'm talking great
suggestion. Have you heard of the East End Houston?
(02:17):
Well, it's a very historic area.
It's very vibrant and diverse community.
It's located between the Port Of Houston downtown
close to Daikin Park, formerly Minute
Maid, and the Hobby Airport. And,
(02:37):
just in case you haven't been there, let me tell you, This is the
best place to go and celebrate and have a
really, really great time. And it's, you know, for everyone,
including the kids. And what I think about it is
that it actually feels like you've taken a
mini vacation without really traveling, and you find yourself
(02:59):
in the middle of somewhere in Mexico. It is it is
incredible. And, and it's got great music
and the aromas of the food are fantastic. Lots to
do, lots to see. And every year,
this Cinco de Mayo celebration seems to be getting
bigger and bigger. So and I I think this
(03:22):
year, it promises to be just as big or bigger,
actually. So with me today is
Lupe Olivares. He is the director of the
Cinco de Mayo Festival. And welcome to the show, Lupe.
Couldn't wait to talk to you because I wanna hear what's
happening this year because I've been getting some great news
(03:43):
about it. Well, thank you, Blanca, for having me on the show
this evening. Yes. We're really excited
this year. Well, every year, you know, we we always
make it a little bigger, a little better. And More
exciting. Oh, yeah. Yeah. And since COVID, you
know, it took a little while to come back, but, we're back.
(04:06):
And, we, we're located
three blocks on navigation, the historical,
esplanade on navigation, the 2,500 block all the way to
the 2700 block. We close the streets. We
have, a lot of, security to
make it the place really safe. We have,
(04:28):
over five entertainment areas this year, throughout
You see what I mean about it getting bigger? Yes.
Yes. At at our kids
zone, we have a a
circus, of acrobats. It's, it's Oh, yeah.
Sort of a French type thing, very like a mini,
(04:50):
circus soleil, but it's called Circus Levy. And,
they're gonna put on two forty five minute shows,
during the time of the festival. The festival this year, we start a little later.
We start at 3PM, and we're going to 9PM this
year. Okay. This is what we used to do, twelve to
(05:11):
six. You know, we just did a lot of research and, you know, there's a
lot of people that work on Saturday, and and we wanted to give
them a a chance to get off of get off from their job
and and come to the festival, you know, and enjoy all the
different entertainment areas that we have Yeah. This year. And
and this is a festival that's been going on. I was talking about it
(05:33):
being, around for a very long time. And this festival
has been going since 2012. Right? Well, yes.
It goes back a little further than that. It it
actually originated, the roots of it, in
02/2008, at the in the parking
lot of the Bohemios Tlackett pocket market in the East
(05:55):
End. We we started there. We did that for a
few years before moving it over to,
the Esplanade where it is now, and we've been there since.
So it's, yes. It's it's been a good while. We
slowly cultivating the festival, over the
years. And, and even through COVID, we, we
(06:18):
we had, virtual festival. We were one
of the only ones that, at Talento Bilingue Theater, we went
ahead and and and did, no
audience, performances, and we and we streamed the
festival those two years of COVID. So we kept
it going. And so now here we are in 2025. You
(06:40):
know? Yeah. It's something else. Yeah. Well, you started
mentioning the the Cirque that you've got, kind of like Cirque
du Soleil, but it's Cirque La Vie? Cirque du Soleil. Yes.
They're, amazing acrobats. The kids are gonna love it.
That's one of our five entertainment areas. The other are Yeah.
Who who else who else have you got, in these,
(07:04):
plaza areas? Yes. Well,
in next to the kids area, there's a area that we call
the the Noche De Cumbia area, and,
Wonky Power is sponsoring that that area.
They're bringing in a stage and and and a lot of
new style of electronic cumbia that's really big
(07:26):
amongst the youth the youth these days. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah.
And, the the plazas there's two plazas. There's Plaza De
Pinatas and Plaza De Luchas. And,
on our Plaza De Pinatas, which is in the middle of the
esplanade, we're gonna have, three different,
(07:46):
dancers throughout the day. They're,
Las Semel Folklorico. Oh, they're really good. Yeah.
Also, Mexico
Vibe, and, and LaPiel. They're they're very
good. A student we usually, you know, book a lot of
student, schools, because, you
(08:08):
know, this is what it's for. It's for community building and and and what
we do here. It's for people of all ages. Exactly.
The other plaza, Plaza De La the Luchas
is exactly that. We're gonna have Lucha there. Oh, wow.
Yeah. We're gonna have Rio Luchadores coming in. With a
mask and all? Oh, yeah. It's called Wow. Libre,
(08:31):
it's it's being brought by, Coliseo Houston, and
they they're located here in the East End. And every Sunday, they
have Lucha Libre at their gym. Yeah. And, it's the
real deal. I mean, these guys are, semi professional, but
they're, like, really, really good. And and, I bet they're gonna
be very entertaining, especially for the kids. Oh, yeah. And
(08:53):
speaking of the kids, in between the matches, the kids
can get up on the ring and and do their own, you
know. Oh. So it's interactive. You know?
Uh-huh. Those are our two plazas, Plaza De Luchas
De La Pinatas, Circus De La Vie The
excuse me. The Plaza De Las Pinatas, are kids gonna be able
(09:15):
to break pinatas or adults break pinatas? It
is just called that. But this is what we
have, Bale Folklorico. We have Mariachi singers. We have
more of the traditional Cinco de Mayo sound in that in that
area. Oh, okay. The same with the Plaza
Plaza De Luz De Luzas. There'll be the there'll
(09:38):
be a a DJ that plays all the traditional
music. And, we also have a, a tribute to the Queen of
Tejano sung by Carla G. She's really
wonderful. She'll be singing two different shows, one at the
Plaza De Pinatas, 1 at Plaza De Luchas in
between the matches. But our our
(09:59):
grand gem of the stage, our main stage,
the the My my understanding is that you're going to have a lot of, or
several, actually, award winning, musicians.
Yes. Our main stage is going to host, three
three artists on the stage. There'll be some dancing, a stethoscope
(10:20):
dancing off the stage in between the musical,
program. But, Sam Knight
is a local, a local artist
that, during the Astros last,
world series, he won the contest for
the best Houston Astro world series song.
(10:43):
And Oh, wow. He's become very popular. He's gonna
open the show, on the main stage.
One of our co headliners is Sonny Salsera.
He's three three time Grammy winner, in the Tejanos,
genre here. Here in Yeah. He's really good. Yeah. He's
really good. Two years ago, he was at the,
(11:07):
accordion case and queens here at the Miller Theater, and it just
electrified 5,000 people on the hill. It was unbelievable.
He's he's amazing. He's a great guy, great father.
His band is super, super cool, and the sound is
so different from any other Tejano bands that I've seen
before. And they're all Yeah. He's pretty original. He is.
(11:31):
And then our main headliner is, from Austin,
Texas, Del Castillo. They're this is a family
band. The the last name, Del Castillo, is Mark and
Rick and another one of their brothers. And they
are an amazing band. They've they've been on many,
movies, soundtracks, Robert Rodriguez
(11:55):
movies, Quentin Tarantino movies. Yeah. I
think he did some music for Bill Kill. Yes. They
did. Kill Bill. I'm sorry. Because Kill Bill. Yeah. Let let let let let me
know. For Once Upon a Time in Mexico with,
Brad Pitt and Julia Roberts. Yes. Really? They're
major. Oh, yeah. They are. They just got off the road with,
(12:17):
Los Lonely Boys. They they were in Europe, and I they they're
all over the place. They're wonderful friends of mine. I'm happy to
say that I I've shared the stage with them before,
and, they're just a joy to have around, you know, and
it reflects in their music. They're very passionate in
their music. It's just it's a it's a sort of a new
(12:40):
genre that they've helped to create. It's it's a flamenco
rock. You know? Yeah. It's sort of Gypsy Kings.
They're unique. They're unique. It's a it's a it's like
the Gypsy Kings meets, Carlos Santana.
Oh, wow. Unbelievable. You know? They're they're very, very, very
good. Just great songs. And, so yes.
(13:03):
And and, obviously, the food is gonna be amazing.
We have access in that in that footprint.
We have access to five world class
restaurants. We have Merida, Dona Maria's,
Nimfa's, Jonathan's The Rub, and El
(13:23):
Tiempo. Yeah. All all within walking distance.
Those are great. You know, with last year, we had over
6,000 people show up. So we have great food
trucks and also, for different kinds of food
trucks from tacos to chicken to,
Antojitos, Mexicanos. You know? Yeah. And,
(13:46):
Gotta have both. Yeah. So, so there
you're you're not gonna go hungry. That's for sure. Our
our official, beer this year, our sponsor
is, Silver Eagle. They're going to, we're going to
have, Modelo and Corona and some
other, Silver Eagle products. I'm sure Bud Light, you know,
(14:08):
Budweiser, and, and and and other products
that they that they, distribute, great sponsors.
They've helped a lot because this is a free festival. You know?
And it and it and it's, it takes a a lot of planning, and it
takes a lot of, sponsorships and grants to put
this together. The East End Management District, cultural
(14:31):
district here in the East End, The,
Improvement Corporation here in the East End have have always
been great supporters of the festival,
and, have always, brought in the sponsors
to, to help this happen because without the
sponsors, we just can't do it. Right. Right. And I'm sure
(14:54):
that next year's festival, you'll start planning it right
after this one shuts down. Right? I like to take at least a month off,
you know? But there's a lot to do because, once
everybody gets there, they're going to see how exciting and vibrant
it is, all the different colors, the music, and there's just
a lot of excitement going on. And like you said, you
(15:16):
have five areas, five stages or
plaza where you can decide, hey, I wanna go hear this
guy or I wanna go see these dancers or hear
this music. Are you having mariachis this year? Yes.
We have, Tess Armando will be performing twice
at the Plaza De Pinatas. See? So we have a choice.
(15:40):
We have a choice of who we wanna go see. Oh, you know, and I
forgot to mention because we have so many different areas.
We have a thing on the Esplanade. It's called,
the music box. And Oh, what's the music
box? The music box is, we use
the music box year round at the Esplanade,
(16:03):
and it's part of the East End Market every Sunday,
that, that Julian Garcia runs on Sundays
with all the the vendors, and and he brings in and
hires bands and things. So in this music box, it's a container
that's been painted like a colorful, boom box,
(16:24):
and the doors open and it becomes a stage. And,
we're going to have a Tejano band called the Dukes. They're here
from the East End. All these bands are here from the East End.
Dimekasi, Tequila Vibe, and the Centeno
Spirit from the Centeno family will be performing there. Oh, wow.
They should be really good. The Centeno's very well known
(16:46):
family. Yes. Yes. So they'll be, performing
there. And, we encourage people to bring,
you know, we have some seating, but we expect a
big crowd. So bring bring your fold chairs here,
your folding chairs. That way you can sit down wherever and and
listen to whatever you wanna hear and and all that. You know?
(17:10):
You know, bring your bring your, your folding
chairs, but don't don't don't bring your coolers
because, you know, we have to help the vendors that are selling things
here. You know? Yeah. I mean, you have 30 local food vendors
Oh, yes. That are going to be there. Yeah. Food vendors and then and
and and, you know, they sell waters and Cokes and whatever. You know, they
(17:32):
sell iced teas and and we we have to, you know,
bring your cash or your credit card. Usually,
we it's, it's cashless nowadays. You know? It
just Yeah. Everybody pays with their debit And,
support the, the local economy. The
the festival is free, and, you you're gonna have access to
(17:55):
five different stages with top of the line
professional world renowned artists. Yeah. So come
and help and and and invest in our local economy with our
local leaders, arts and crafts, food, and drinks. Yeah.
You know? Yeah. And I know that because it's in the community, a lot
of people ride bikes. Can they come in with their bikes?
(18:17):
Yes. Bring your bikes. I mean, once it gets pretty crowded,
you'll just have to walk them or lock them up. You know? I mean, the
blocks are they're old blocks from back in the day. You know? They're
not like the big giant city blocks, but Right.
This is a very historic area. This is, this is where,
(18:37):
the fajita became famous. You know? Mama Niphas,
started barbecuing fajitas back in in the
sixties, and nobody knew what they were. And this is a special
area, the the East End. This is Segundo
Barrio, the the we call it Second Ward. You know?
Yeah. It's also right by the the Buffalo Bayou
(19:00):
where actually Houston started, you know, was
founded. So This is the birthplace of Houston, you
know? Yeah. Sunrise is in the East End and you know
Yeah. Yeah. And and and we're very proud of our
area. We we, we with the help of the
management district over the last fifteen, twenty years,
(19:21):
the area has really, really come up in,
in cleanliness, and it's it's it's a it's
a living art gallery. You can drive through this
area and see huge murals everywhere, you know. Yeah.
Beautiful murals. And they tell us Yeah. I was about to say you have a
lot of great artists in the area. So are you going to have
(19:43):
the arts and crafts booths also? Oh, yes.
Yes. Our artists from all local artists
from the Houston area, from the East End.
We're also honoring, a great legend from the
Houston East End that passed away last year in
2024. Fito Olivares, we're
(20:05):
honoring Fito, as,
you know, for his, world renowned
cumbia sound that came out of the East End, and
and and and great songs that are played today to this
day by many artists all over the world
play his cumbias, you know, and Be playing are you gonna be playing
(20:28):
his cumbia music during the cumbia night?
I'm sure they will. I haven't seen their set list,
but, you know, Fito Olivares is not far from,
the list. You know? Juana La Cubana is one of his greatest hits. You
know? Yeah. Yeah. That is fun. That was fun.
So this is happening this Saturday. This festival
(20:51):
is happening this Saturday from three to nine. Right?
May 3. May third. May third from three to nine. I get there a little
bit earlier, and and and and plan
to stay a long time. There's plenty to do. There's plenty to see.
The city of Houston is one of our our sponsors,
(21:12):
and it's, you know, it's it's it's a
professional inner city, wonderful cultural arts
festival. Yeah. And you can just people watch too.
You can people watch as well. You know? Bring in your chairs
and just sit there and people watch. Yes. There's, there's so much things to
do, interact interactive,
(21:37):
things going on all throughout the footprint. You know? And
plenty to do for mom and dads and their kids,
and, plenty of places to sit down and rest.
And, the food court is wonderful.
I, the food court is, sponsored by The Meat Planet,
another one of our great sponsors on navigation.
(22:00):
They they're a meat distributor. They distribute all
the high class restaurants all over the city, you know, and and they
also sell to the public. But, they've, joined,
the last year helping the festival. Like I said, you know,
without our sponsors, it's it's it's not easy to put
this, quality festival together. Yeah. Do you
(22:23):
expect the mayor to show up this year? In the past,
different mayors have shown up. I
they usually send me a a a an email,
but I I haven't heard anything yet. But, of course,
mayor, and and other Still have a few days to go before the
event? Right. Yes. Of course, the mayor and and
(22:45):
other elected officials, from the area are
are welcome to come and enjoy themselves.
You know? And and, you know, the whole thing behind
this festival besides, you know,
the history aspect of the, the Mexicans,
(23:06):
defeating the French in the Battle of Puebla, which is
the historical backdrop to the Cinco de Mayo.
We also, promote, human,
tolerance to other people's cultures, you know, by
by inviting other people to come and enjoy this
culture. Yeah. And enjoy, and
(23:29):
and, enjoy the food, enjoy the music, enjoy the dance,
and, Yeah. And and the from my understanding is that the
East End is very culturally diverse as well.
It is. Over the last twenty years,
you know, the East End let me just back up a little bit. The East
End in the mid eighteen hundreds was, like we
(23:52):
talked about, the birthplace of Houston. Right? And, and it
even wasn't Houston. It was it was called, Harris,
Harrisburg. Over the years, the the East End has,
has hosted many different communities
and cultures. You know, the the Mexicans
were here from when it was Mexico.
(24:15):
And then you had mid eighteen hundreds. You had,
immigrants coming from Eastern Europe, Germans,
Czech, Polish, you know, and Irish people
coming to Texas. In the mid nineteen
hundreds, we had a influx of
Italian, bricklayers. And you see all the old brick around
(24:37):
Houston, that that was built by the Italian immigrants that
came to Houston. And they all settled here in the in the East
End First, and then they started moving out
and creating Houston as we know it. Well, Lupe, thank you so much
for that history lesson that you've given us of, you know, the
the people that came in into that area,
(25:00):
and why that, the East End is so important
to the Houston's communities. Yes.
I'm not a native Houstonian. I I came
here with my family as an 11 year old back in 1970,
and we we moved here to the East End
and, been here ever since.
(25:23):
You've been a witness to the development in that area. You know what?
I just don't yes. And, you know, a lot of my friends, you
know, they moved to the suburbs and all that, and my my brother and all
that, and I just couldn't do it. You know? I just couldn't do it. So
so I stayed in the inner city on this inner city little
rats. That's what we are. As I was mentioning at the beginning
(25:46):
of the show, you know, it's
really like taking a step back into,
Mexico even though you haven't
had to fly or drive or whatever to get
there. But it's like just a blink and you're in
Mexico. And it's it's it's great. It's
(26:08):
great. It's very relaxing, a lot of fun. And,
I mean, you have all the artists, the crafts people,
the food, the music, just the whole
ambiance of the place is it's great. Yes.
It is. You know, I mean, when it's
(26:29):
happening, it it it, you know, you're really tired. You've
been, you know, working at hours and hours. And and when you see
all the kids having fun and, and all the
colors and the music and seeing people or more there. The
food and all that. Yeah. And you just go, right.
And, we just go, wow. This is it's Right. Every
(26:52):
Right. Right. Right. Right. So again, I can enter to
say. From whatever end of the street to get into the
festival. It's free and,
just, you know Yeah. I I I,
if if they can, if they could log on to
eastendstreetfest.com, east end street fest
(27:13):
Com, we have the full lineup, how to
get there, where to go. It's just get there early. It's street
parking. You know? You have to park somewhere,
and, and then walk your way in. Volunteers? There, the
the closer you'll be to the to the gates. It'd be great to have
people volunteer. They can reach me directly,
(27:36):
or they can go to the the website,
easternstreetfest.com, and there's a there's a a
tab there where they can they can, contact.
Okay. So, again, festival
goers can explore more than 30
food trucks, art vendors, enjoy traditional
(27:56):
dance performances, cumbia music, all kinds
of music, diverse music, and
even Cirque du Soleil kind of performance.
Just I mean, it's just so much, so much. I can't even mention it
all. So, Lupe, thank you. Thank you so much
(28:16):
for for being here and,
for letting us know why the East End's historic community is
the best place to be to celebrate the Cinco de
Mayo, festivities. And, but, you know,
we just have to remember that it's going to be this Saturday,
May, from three to nine so that we
(28:38):
we will be there just or be there earlier if you
want. Yeah. Yeah. You know, we are in,
in 2012 is when we moved to the Esplanade,
but we had already done it a few years prior to that.
And, every year, it just gets a little bigger and a little bigger and a
little bigger. So come on and have some fun. You know? Thank you.
(29:02):
And, of course, I'd like to thank you all for for being with me
and for listening to all the great,
festivities happening at the East End for Cinco de Mayo.
But before you get there, make sure that you get to go to the
parade, the Cinco de Mayo parade happening
downtown as well. And then right after that, head on over
(29:25):
to the East End and enjoy all the food and entertainment
that you can. And, of course, make sure that you
send me your comments and any story ideas too.
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