Pasco’s Cinco de Mayo celebration kicks off Friday with annual parade

Cinco de Mayo, the annual celebration of Hispanic culture, starts Friday and continues into Saturday, bringing music, food and fun to downtown Pasco.

The annual parade is moving to 7 p.m. Friday evening to provide companies and community groups a chance to decorate cars, floats and uniforms with lights.

The parade will also include Mexican cowboys, Miss Cinco De Mayo, marching bands and dance groups. The route starts in front of the Union Gospel Mission and will move along Fourth Avenue past Volunteer Park, returning to downtown Pasco.

Following the parade, dancing horses will compete for a $1,000 grand prize, and the celebration will move to the Rumor Lounge in Kennewick for the the official Cinco de Mayo After Party.

The fun continues Saturday with the launch of the farmer’s market at the corner of South Fourth Avenue and West Columbia Street. The ceremony starts at noon with the singing of the U.S. and Mexican national anthems.

Events continue in downtown Pasco with pony rides, pinatas, bumper cars, bounce houses and an inflatable obstacle course.

Blanche Barajas, the planning committee’s co-chair, wants to call attention to the American Ninja Warrior obstacle course. Open to both children and adults, the obstacle course is styled after the popular television show.

The course is aimed at promoting health and healthy activity, Barajas said.

Musical performances Saturday evening will include the Tri-Cities’ own Grammy-nominated Canarios de Michoacan, along with Los GFEZ from Mazatlan Sinaloa.

The festival will also culminate in the completion of Pasco’s Taco Crawl, and the crowning of the “Best taco in Pasco.”

The event draws visitors from as far away as Seattle and Chelan, said Luke Hallowell, the director of the Downtown Pasco Development Authority.

“We’re looking forward to building upon this proud tradition and creating an unforgettable experience for the children and families that join us,” Hallowell said.

For more details about the event, go to pasco5demayo.com.

This story was originally published May 4, 2017 at 2:52 PM with the headline "Pasco’s Cinco de Mayo celebration kicks off Friday with annual parade."