Cinco De Mayo

It’s time to break out those maracas and sombreros and get to the Charleston Visitor Center Bus Shed 7-11 p.m. Friday for the fourth annual Charleston Cinco de Mayo Festival. And yes, technically it’s being held on the first of May, but that’s because this high-energy Hispanic cultural celebration just couldn’t wait. El Dorado, Los Reyes and Moe’s Southwest Grill will provide the cuisine; drinks include Cuervo margaritas, Dos Equis Mexican beer and Miller Light; and all this will be accompanied by Latin entertainment.

“One thing that makes the festival really great is the entertainment aspect,” said festival co-chair Katie Kern. “But there is nothing else like it downtown. It’s probably the only festival we have that brings salsa and Latin music.”

This year’s entertainment features the 15-piece salsa group Orquesta GarDel of North Carolina playing big, brassy salsa sounds that will energize the crowd.

New York reggaeton group Taton Y Tremendo will keep the dancers moving, and DJ Luigi of Latin Groove Charleston will wrap up the night with the latest Latin hits.

Dance performances include the Afro-Cuban group Buen Ache, professional salsa and ballroom dancers and a guest appearance by Charlie and Chelsea, the official RiverDog mascots.

And back for the second installment this year is the Dancing With the Local Stars competition.

Four local celebrities have been training under the guidance of four local dancers not only to learn salsa dancing, but also a choreographed routine. They will perform live at the festival, and the crowd will choose who has the most Latin flavor.

Local celebrity Nate Lopes, also known as DJ NattyHeavy, Z 93 Jamz producer and DJ, will go up against fellow local celebrities Ayoka Lucas, style editor of Charleston Magazine; Tracey Amick, WCSC Live 5 News reporter; and Tara Lynn, WCBD News 2 anchor.

“With the Dancing With the Local Stars, people will be surprised that these local celebrities have really become as good as they are on TV,” said Cinco de Mayo Co-chair Lee Deas. “And their performances are very dynamic.”

“This year’s competition is the most competitive that the dancers have been, and they’re so excited about it,” Kern added. “It makes everyone else excited about it, and it will be a good show for the community. It will be something the community will come out and support. It’s our local stars putting themselves out there.”

Community support isn’t just for the competition either. It’s for all the performers, attendees and cultures. The mission of the Charleston Cinco de Mayo Festival is to encourage togetherness among diverse communities in the area.

“It’s welcoming,” Kern said. “That’s huge, that it’s all-inclusive so people feel welcome. You can experience something different; it’s not the same Charleston event.”

“My favorite part and what makes it unique is that it’s so multicultural,” Deas said.

“This family came up to me after the event one year,” she added. “And the mother was literally in tears. She said that since they moved here from Mexico two years before, it was the first time they felt connected to the city they lived in. I was so happy that we achieved our goal to make everyone feel included.”

It will be hard not to feel included with the more than 3,000 expected attendees. The event is one of the largest Hispanic/Latino events in the state and one of the state’s most recognizable cultural events.

But despite it being a Mexican holiday, Cinco de Mayo has become a popular celebration in America.

“It’s a holiday commemorating the Mexican victory over the French at the Battle of Puebla in 1862,” Deas said.

Led by Gen. Ignacio Zaragoza Seguin, Mexican forces defeated the invading French despite being outnumbered 2-to-1 and the French being better-equipped. It was the first time in 50 years that the French army had been defeated and the Mexicans were able to save their capital, Mexico City, only 100 miles away.

“It’s not heavily celebrated in Mexico; it turned into a primarily American holiday,” Deas said.

She explains that it has become widely celebrated throughout the U.S. to celebrate Mexican heritage and culture. And the festival provides an opportunity for Charleston residents to experience Hispanic food, dance, culture and music.

This year, the festival is collaborating with the Roper St. Francis Healthcare’s Ryan White HIV Care Management Program. The nonprofit organization is a federally funded program that helps coordinate comprehensive medical care for people living with HIV/AIDS in the tri-county area. The program is an early intervention service designed to help improve the quality and availability of primary health care with respect to HIV/AIDS.

“Because of our effort in promoting this program and letting the community know what services we provide, this event will help us educate people on HIV and just let people know what services we have and that are out there,” said Ashley Redmond, executive director of Roper St. Francis’ Ryan White program.