¡Viva! Mexican Independence Day Celebrations Continue Tonight at Brown Plaza
Del Rio’s Barrio San Felipe, a neighborhood founded and settled by Mexican immigrants in the 19th century, continues a long-held tradition of Mexican Independence Day festivities this year. Celebrations began on September 7th and reconvened with a community festival the following weekend on Sunday the 14th lasting through tonight.
Mexico’s Independence Day has been celebrated for over a century in Mexican-American communities across the United States with parades, mariachi and folklórico performances, and festivals that reflect deep ties with Mexican culture and history. In Del Rio, the Brown Plaza Association’s (BPA) Independencia de Mexico celebrations last multiple days at Brown Plaza right up to el Diez y Seis de Septiembre, or September 16 — which means you can still catch live music and street food from 4PM to 10PM this evening.
Local folk-dance group Ballet Folklòrico Macuilxochitl, pictured above, performed multiple nights at the festival. With dancers ranging from 8 to 69 years of age, their vibrant traditional dress and Mexican folk dances are a crowd favorite.
A new tradition added to the celebrations this year was a non-competitive 5K Fun Run that preceded a parade on Sunday evening. Taking inspiration from San Antonio’s famous Flambeau Parade, Claudia Lopez, BPA chair, said, “We wanted to add something different to the parade.”
Runners ran in costumes and garb representing Mexican heritage to add to the fun. Claudia says that while BPA would have been happy with 25 entrants, the number of participants in this inaugural run was 88 in total, surpassing their hopes.
Entry into the festival is always free for the community, while food and beverages from local vendors come at various prices. This final evening's entertainment include Tejano groups Los Escorpiones del Norte and Los Alegres de Ruben Tellez.
.png)
Comments