Cinco de Mayo celebration draws crowd for family fun
Multituldes of residents gathered May 2 evening, at East Aldine Town Center for a Cinco de Mayo celebration hosted by the East Aldine Management District, a free community event that paired live regional music with children’s activities, food, and a message about neighborhood investment. Organizers estimated attendance at 1,000 to 1,500 people despite stormy weather earlier in the weekend.
Board member Rocio Witte said the event was meant to reflect the culture of the community while creating a safe place for families to gather close to home.
“We wanted to celebrate Cinco de Mayo and just bring good food, good music to the community,” Witte said. “The community has really looked forward to these types of events with live music in a family- friendly environment. And they know that it’s a safe space.”
Children rotated through soccer, basketball, ring toss, lotería, bowling, face painting, balloons and train rides while families visited food trucks and watched the performances. Witte said keeping the event free was essential.
“All the events that we do are free and open to the public,” she said. “The district pays for everything.”
District staff spent months planning the celebration, coordinating entertainment, vendors and weather contingencies. Witte said the event still drew a solid crowd. “It wasn’t our largest turnout because some of our other events are more well known,” she said. “But I would say it was about 1,000 to 1,500 maybe in attendance. That’s still a good turnout.”
She said that matters in East Aldine, where some residents may not regularly travel to larger public venues elsewhere in Houston.
“Some of our community members, they don’t get an opportunity to go to Discovery Green or Miller Outdoor Theatre or some of these other public spaces, either due to transportation or they’re just not used to going outside of their community,” Witte said. “We want to make sure that we bring that same high-quality experience to this community.”
The music lineup blended established and regional acts. Headliner Costumbre, a Norteño/Tejano group formed by Manuel Edgar Luján and José Zamora Jr., broke out with its 1999 debut and later gained wide recognition for songs including “Y Ya Después,” “Quiero Decirte” and “Fantasia.”
Puro Zarpazo, a Houston- based group with an active local performance circuit and online releases, brought a dance-driven set rooted in live cumbia and regional styles.
Chava Hernandez y El Kambio, a Monterrey-area group with roughly 15 years of trayectoria, is known for cumbia-forward arrangements, a multi-instrument stage show and songs such as “Plena que arrasa” and “Madrecita.”
Witte said the celebration also gave residents a visible example of how district resources are used.
“That is public money,” she said, referring to salestax revenue generated in the district. “I would definitely want the public to learn more about some of the other projects that we do to make improvements in the community.” She said the district hopes residents will continue attending events, following its work and seeing the Town Center as a place built for them.
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