Cinco De Mayo

Cinco De Mayo is widely celebrated in the United States; in Downtown Chandler, the day is honored with free entertainment entailing a fair, music, folklorico dancers, vendors, a classic car show, hourly prized drawings, chihuahua races, and the crowning of the king and queen chihuahua.

While the festival is free to attend, registration to participate in the chihuahua race was 20$ per chihuahua. Entry was limited to the first 150 dogs, and they were required to be purebred, fully vaccinated, and on a leash outside of the race at all times. The first place prize was 500$.

The king and queen chihuahua were judged based on four categories: smallest dog, best temperament, best in show, and most fashionable. The judges were folks belonging to the community, and they were by no means professionals.

Most non-Hispanic members of the Chandler community attend the event to witness the fierce but fragile chihuahuas racing for a prize. To broaden the appeal of the festival, a wider variety of music was provided starting in 2010, as well as other attractions.

The celebration of Cinco De Mayo is in honoring the day on May 5th, 1862 when 4,000 Mexican soldiers held off 8,000 French and allied troops bent on reestablishing their presence in the New World. Recognition of the Mexican victory is hard to go unnoticed over 150 years later- especially when celebration is not only grasped by those who’ve got something to say by simply being alive, but by also seeing how everyone is freely invited to celebrate too. It’s as if the whole world won that day, even if it was so long ago.