Inaugural Cinco de Mayo festival serves up Mexican culture in the ByWard Market
A weekend of Mexican festivities is underway in the ByWard Market, where an inaugural Cinco de Mayo celebration has kicked off.
- Sign up now for our daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
- The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App
Vendors have packed William Street preparing authentic tacos, quesadillas, margaritas and more.
"We've got Latino bands, we’ve got mariachis, we've got dancers and we've lots of real Mexican street food," said organizer Josué Nieto.
From the afternoon into the evening, El Mariachi Aztlán was filling the square with song, setting the scene of a true Mexican market.
For Ana Sofia de la Parra, it was the perfect setting to experience the holiday.
"It's my first year celebrating Cinco de Mayo with wonderful people, wonderful food and a wonderful atmosphere," she told CTV News on Saturday.
"It's not a holiday that we observe at all, but it gives you an excuse to celebrate whenever you can, so knowing that they were going to have this up made me very excited."
She says she was most excited to take in some authentic Mexican cuisine, which can be hard to come by in the capital.
"The tacos al pastor I’m very excited for because normally in Canada they do them cut up in cubes and that’s not the way you do it! I’m also having cochinita pibil," she said.
The food is a big draw – lines for pulled pork tacos and Mexican baked goods stretched down the street.
"I think it's great that we have the opportunity to represent our culture here," said vendor Johnathan Yasin Medina. "And I feel like it's great that we can share this with everyone else as well."
The visitors that poured into the market were more than happy to partake in that culture.
"Our family ordered some tacos and we'll try to enjoy some good desserts as well," said one.
"We used to live in Mexico, and we really like to relive the music, the culture, and everything," said another.
The event has been three years in the making – a joint project between art group Ballet Aztlán Mexico and the Mexican Embassy.
"It's all about happiness and bringing people together - that's the real meaning of Cinco de Mayo," said Nieto.
"Come out and leave happy, because if people leave happy, they'll be talking about it and next year is going to be even bigger and bigger and bigger."
Cinco de Mayo in the ByWard Market continues Sunday from 10 a.m. to 11 p.m.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prosecution rests in Donald Trump’s hush money case. The defence now gets its turn to call witnesses
Michael Cohen testified Monday that he stole tens of thousands of dollars from his ex-boss Donald Trump’s company, an admission defence lawyers hope to use to undermine Cohen’s credibility.
What is BORG drinking, and why is it a dangerous trend? An expert explains
If you've been to a party lately and haven't seen someone drinking a BORG, you're likely not partying with college students.
The world's best airline is paying staff a bonus of 8 months' salary
Singapore Airlines will reward its employees with a bonus worth nearly eight months of salary, a person familiar with the matter told CNN on Friday.
'The root cause': Canada outlines national action plan to fight auto theft
The federal government is launching what it calls its 'national action plan' to combat auto thefts, which will include stronger penalties for thieves, and increased information sharing between police agencies, government officials and border enforcement.
U.S. Supreme Court rejects appeal from former Guantanamo detainee Omar Khadr
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rejected an appeal by a Canadian-born former Guantanamo detainee who was seeking to wipe away his war crimes convictions, including for killing a U.S. soldier in Afghanistan.
Red Lobster probes 'endless shrimp' losses after bankruptcy filing
U.S.-based restaurant chain Red Lobster has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in a Florida court after securing $100 million in financing commitments from its existing lenders, the company said on Sunday.
Katy Perry sings goodbye to 'American Idol'
Katy Perry said her goodbyes on 'American Idol' after seven seasons. On Sunday night’s live 'idol' season finale, a medley of Perry's hit songs were performed, including 'Teenage Dream,' 'Dark Horse' and 'California Gurls.'
McGill says pro-Palestinian protest outside senior administrator's home 'crosses the line'
McGill University has denounced a pro-Palestinian protest held Sunday outside the home of one of its senior administrators.
'Next man up': Canucks coach, teammates bracing for Game 7 without Brock Boeser
Questions about how the team is going to handle the absence of star winger Brock Boeser from a do-or-die game seven dominated pre-game interviews with the Vancouver Canucks coach and players Monday morning.