Thousands of revelers celebrated Latino heritage and culture in downtown Fresno on Saturday with the return of the Fiestas Patrias festival and parade on Fulton Street.
It’s the first time the festival – now sponsored by the city of Fresno – was held since 2018, before the coronavirus pandemic, and the first one to include a parade since 1999.
Costumed dancers await their turn to perform at the Fiestas Patrias parade and festival on Fulton Street in downtown Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
The event aligns with Mexico’s Independence Day of Sept. 16, and Saturday’s festival featured a re-enactment of Mexican priest Manuel Hidalgo y Costilla’s famous “El Grito de Dolores,” his 1810 call for uprising against Spain’s colonial government.
Marchers with the U.S. and California state flags, as well as flags of Mexico and other Latin American countries, lead the Fiestas Patrias parade celebrating Mexican Independence Day and more in its return to downtown Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
The event included traditional folklorico dancers in colorful costumes, Mexican horseback riders, arts and crafts for children, family games, live music, and food trucks and booths.
Costumed performers await their turn to entertain at the Fiestas Patrias parade, celebrating Mexican Independence Day and more, in downtown Fresno on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
Booths and vendors lined Fulton Street in downtown Fresno for the Fiestas Patrias parade and festival, celebrating Mexican Independence Day and more, on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
Marchers bear the flags of California as well as Mexico and other Latin American countries as the Fiestas Patrias parade, celebrating Mexican Independence Day and more, returns to downtown Fresno’s Fulton Street on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. ERIC PAUL ZAMORA ezamora@fresnobee.com
Lifelong Valley resident Tim Sheehan has worked as a reporter and editor in the region since 1986, and has been with The Fresno Bee since 1998. He is currently The Bee’s data reporter and also covers California’s high-speed rail project and other transportation issues. He grew up in Madera, has a journalism degree from Fresno State and a master’s degree in leadership studies from Fresno Pacific University.Support my work with a digital subscription
