The Mexican Patriotic Committee of Metro Detroit, the COVID313 Coalition for Families and Students and Detroit Public Television (DPTV) to host the 2nd Virtual Southwest Detroit Cinco de Mayo Celebration at 4 p.m. on Sunday, May 2 and at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, May 5. The virtual celebration will be streamed on DPTV’s One Detroit Facebook Page.
This weekend would have been the 57th year that the Mexican Patriotic Committee would have hosted its parade on West Vernor through Southwest Detroit. It would have included hundreds of floats, marching bands, Mariachis, Charros (traditional horsemen), and vehicles draped in festive Mexican cultural items. In its place will be a virtual Cinco de Mayo event. This virtual event is not only a celebration, but also as an awareness of the seriousness of this pandemic and on the health and economic impact it has had on Southwest Detroit residents and businesses.
More than 30 local nonprofit organizations, civic/community groups, and businesses have come together to host this year’s event, featuring traditional Mexican folkloric dancers and entertainers, videos of previous Cinco de Mayo parades, Mexican tourism videos, a message from the Consul General from the Mexican Consulate in Detroit, and messages from Southwest Detroit businesses and individuals.
The 2nd Virtual Cinco de Mayo Celebration will include: COVID313 Coalition, a number of Southwest businesses, entertainers, Mexico tourism videos, a message from Mexican Consul Fernando Gonzalez Saiffe, and a DTE Energy video from their employee affinity group on “Coming together to support unaccompanied children.”
