EVERY Cinco de Mayo, Silicon Valley residents come together to commemorate and celebrate the region’s Mexican heritage. The celebrating often starts early, with a convenient Sunday doing duty for the actual benchmark of May 5. Thousands of San Jose locals join in a downtown celebration of Cinco de Mayo 2010 this Sunday, May 2, sponsored by the San Jose chapter of the American GI Forum. Festivities include arts and crafts, traditional costumes, lowrider cars, charro horses, floats, marching bands and food. A parade kicks off the day at 10am on Market Street between Santa Clara and San Carlos; the festival takes place at Discovery Meadows and costs $2/$5. Live performances include Malo with Jorge Santana, Tortilla Soup and Lava.
El Jardin Tequila Bar at Santana Row honors Cinco de Mayo with a three-day Mexican fair featuring live music, carnival games and a giant piñata. May 5–8, 5–9pm.
Univision Radio hosts a Cinco de Mayo Festival at the Santa Clara County Fairgrounds. Sun, 11:30am–6pm.
The San Jose Flea Market on Berryessa and 93.3 FM La Raza mark the occasion with a Mariachi stage featuring Indocumentados del Norte, Arroyo Musical and Ballet Folklorico Las Estrellas. May 1, 11am–5pm.
Poor House Bistro in San Jose salutes the holiday with a Latin Jazz Brunch on Sunday, with the Downtown Allstars. May 2, noon–3pm.
Every Mexican restaurant worth its margarita salt will be offering food and drink specials on May 5. One worthy choice is the celebration at Mexicali Grill in Santa Clara, which lasts all week. Pedro’s in Santa Clara and Los Gatos joins in with drink specials, as does The Blue Chip in San Jose.
The Grapevine in Willow Glen presents a thematic menu based on the traditions of Mexico for $25.
