Picture 150 brightly colored paper pi-atas fluttering in a soft breeze, children lining up to hear about bike safety and receiving 200 free bike helmets, and families scoping out the food booth of their choice.
This will be the scene at this weekend’s Fiesta Latina, a Cinco de Mayo festival presented by Adelante Si. Events will kick off Friday and continue through Sunday at Washington Jefferson Park, transforming the area into a traditional Latin American street festival. Highlights will range from several live Latin music performances, complete with a salsa dance contest, authentic Latin American food and traditional arts and crafts on display.
This year is the 10th anniversary of the festival, and the Fiesta Latina chairwoman, Rebeca Urhausen, has been a part of organizing the celebration since its inception. Along with Alfonso Cabrera, this year’s operations manager, Urhausen was part of a group that wanted to throw a party for the community on Cinco de Mayo.
“It started out as a street party on Fifth [Avenue],” she reflected.

To emphasize how far the festival has come in a decade, this year will be especially festive in decoration and spirit, utilizing balloons and pi-atas in the park and offering a free traditional Sunday Mass at noon.
Urhausen is especially thrilled about the musical lineup for the festival.
“We have a very strong lineup from the moment we open,” she said. Urhausen said that the festival is bringing back the salsa contest, which they haven’t held for a few years because it takes so much organization to put together.
Starting out the musical events at 6 p.m. Friday will be the Brazillian-style Sun Bossa, followed by The Caribbean Ensemble of the Bailar Dance Studio and the Latin rhythms of Abakadubi. The semifinals of the Fiesta Latina Salsa Dance Contest will occur, along with the Latin funk of Rubberneck.
On Saturday, the musical stage will include Toca of Rubberneck, Los Mex-Pistols Del Norte, the finals of the Salsa Dance Contest, the Columbian craze known as Sonora Dinamita and Latin Expression.
Wrapping up the festival on Sunday will be a traditional Mariachi Mass, Sonora Dinamita and Mariachi Los Cabos.
Urhausen wants to make sure that the family environment is maintained and promoted this weekend. The party will be completely alcohol free and will offer numerous children’s activities. Kids not only will be able to learn about bike safety but will also have a petting zoo in which to romp and the Cascade Raptor Care Center’s Birds of Prey show to attend. There will also be 150 pi-atas to attack and face paint to apply.
But families are not the only ones encouraged to make an appearance this weekend; the University crowd is also expected to represent itself. Predicting that they will be attracted to the live Latin music and outdoor setting, Urhausen hopes to see many University students at the park.

“We love having the University crowd come. They’re fun to watch dancing,” she said. “They’re a fun crowd.”
Andy Rothgery, a senior instructor of Spanish at the University, is excited to attend the cultural event, as he has in past years.
“It’s a great celebration that brings together not just the Mexicano community, but [those from] other Spanish-speaking countries,” he said. Fiesta Latina is his favorite holiday event, and he looks forward to the food, art and other cultural practices of the Hispanic community.
Fiesta Latina is made possible by a group of volunteers from the community, employing more than 300 people to turn the weekend into a successful party. Volunteer coordinator Darcy Ornelas will direct helpers to tend gates on Jefferson and Washington Streets, manage Coke stands, and assist in face painting booths and the petting zoo. Marist High School has implemented volunteer requirements for graduation. Ornelas said that the festival will be a fun way for the students to fulfill their hours.
Events on Friday will start at 6 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday festivities start at noon. Suggested contribution for adults and teens is $3, with no charge for children 12 and under. LTD will provide free shuttle service every 20 minutes from downtown to the event.