According to coordinator Kelly Zant, the festival — which begins Friday, May 2 at 6 p.m. and continues through midnight — has something for everyone in the family.

“The Cinco de Mayo Fiesta is a two-day celebration that attracts approximately 5,000 people to downtown Big Spring each year,” said Zant. “The fiesta brings to Big Spring and the surrounding area the beautiful colors, cuisine, arts, music and folklore of the Tex-Mex culture.

“This will be the fifth anniversary for the largest Cinco de Mayo Festival in Howard County. The two-day event will feature a variety of Tejano bands that will bring the extraordinary sound of the accordion to life through various levels of rhythms and beats. The unique sound that is incorporated using different types of stringed, horn and electronic instruments — along with the vocal harmony of these colorful bands — brings the heart and soul of our Tejano community to life on the stage at the Heart of the City Park.”

Zant said vendors are currently being selected.

“The Festival will start Friday May 2 at 6 p.m. and run until midnight. Saturday, the festival will open at 11 a.m. and close at midnight,” said Zant. “Food vendors and merchants are being selected for their originality, friendliness and for their overall contribution to the fiesta atmosphere.”

Zant said the variety of food and fare available during the two-day festival is truly something to behold.

“Along with the traditional festival food fare of hamburgers, barbecue, corn on the cob, hot wings and other delights, there will also be many food booths specializing in festive foods and many different culinary delights from the Tejano and Mexican cultures,” said Zant. “Food specialties like gorditas — which are made from cornmeal, fried and then stuffed with fajitas, chicken, chicharones, beans and then topped with vegetables — are a unique delicacy and a must-try meal experience. Various tacos made with flour or corn tortillas and then topped with salsas of varying heat temperatures and other condiments will make your mouth water and have you craving for more.”

Zant said festival-goers with a competitive streak will get a chance to try their hand at a game that has been a West Texas tradition for years.

“If washer pitching is your game, be sure and enter the tournament slated to start Saturday at 1 p.m.,” said Zant. “There will be cash prizes and trophies for the winners. The tournament organizer will be Manuel Ontiveros.

“This is a multi-cultural event. It’s a family event... What we’re trying to do is bring about a cultural unity, to bring the people in our area together to celebrate our community. We want to uplift everyone and give them a place to take their families and just celebrate being from Big Spring. There just aren’t enough opportunities to celebrate who we are, and this is a big part of who we are as a community.”

For more information on the festival, contact Zant at 213-5703.

Contact Staff Writer Thomas Jenkins at 263-7331 ext. 232 or by e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it