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The event, which will celebrate its 31st edition on Sunday (April 28), was placed on hold because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Mariachi Victoria de Jesus performs during the 26th annual Fiesta Broadway on April 26, 2015 in Los Angeles. Francine Orr/ Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Not all events that were canceled due to the coronavirus pandemic got a comeback story. Fiesta Broadway, back after a four-year hiatus in Los Angeles, gets to have one.
Around for more than 25 years, Fiesta Broadway became a marquee Cinco de Mayo event that took place every year in downtown LA, reuniting thousands of Angelenos for a day of food, music and activities for kids. That all came to an abrupt stop when the pandemic shut down all live events in 2020. “You can tell that Los Angeles has felt empty, a lack of celebration of unity,” says Luis Medina, president and executive producer of Uno Productions (one of the companies producing the event), who adds that past editions have gathered around 100,000.
Now under the management of All Access Talent and Uno Productions, Fiesta Broadway’s organizers doubled down on kick-starting the free event by bringing the original producers of the festival onboard.
“There is no one who could’ve helped us more than the people who created the festival,” says Medina, noting that joining forces with the previous producers was a key strategy in the revival of Fiesta Broadway. Plus, the support of Los Angeles City Council member for District 14, Kevin de León. Once city officials green-lit its return, they had six months to plan and execute.
“Our phones were flooded with many artists and organizations, including media and sponsors, who wanted to participate in our return,” Medina adds. “What makes Fiesta Broadway the beloved event that it is recognized for, is that it is made for the people. To bring the community together, to see artists that would be a bit cost-difficult to see in concert, to bring food from different cultures and remind people that home is in Los Angeles.”
This year, Alex Lora from rock band El TRI, will be the Grand Marshal 2024, a recognition to legacy artists who’ve contribution to the Hispanic community in the United States. This edition, which will take over four blocks of Broadway St. on Sunday (April 28), will also feature performances by Mexican actor and singer Pablo Montero, Graciela Beltran and Leonardo Torres, accompanied by the Mariachi Juvenil Nuevo Grullense. Other confirmed acts include Juanito El Millonzuki, Rocío “La Dama de la Cumbia,” and many more.
Whether Fiesta Broadway is back for good or not, that’s too soon to tell. “[This year] is a moreover learning experience on how we can remain up-to-date with the new era and keep the festival popular among the younger generation as well,” says Medina.
