CANCELED: 2012 Santa Barbara Cinco de Mayo Festival

The rising cost of city fees...good job Santa Barbara!

I worked at the News-Press as a security guard for ten years from 1994-2004 and am here to tell you that I never saw a problem with Cinco de Mayo. On the other hand, Fiesta was a constant run of drunks, gangbangers, spoiled brat tourists, drunk college students and so forth.

What a commentary on the priorities of Santa Babylon--nix Cinco de Mayo but celebrate the genocide of the Chumash.

Does Mexico celebrate July 4th?

Of course they do, they have the same problem as SB- drunk tourist setting off firworks and acting like jacka**es.

On a serious note, it is too bad to see this not happen this year, it is yet another sign that Santa Barbara is not being realistic to the needs of today's business person or businesses. They pretty much killed something that usually brings money to many businesses downtown who depend on Cinco de Mayo, and Fiestas to make their yearly income. It also is a sign that our community is broken because we are okay with this, no, almost relieved. It is sad that something that used to bring happiness, and that people looked forward to now causes dread.

Uncalled for Ken. The latino heritage in California, as well as Arizona, New Mexico, Texas goes back a hundred years before becoming a state. Hence the names Santa Barbara, San Diego, San Buenaventura, Los Angeles, San Diego. Unlike Fiesta, there is more of a family feel as opposed to Fiasco....I don't even come downtown anymore on those weekends.

Damn shame to have lost this "family" event that generated revenues for downtown businesses.

I'm a quarter French, and while France once ruled Mexico - don't celebrate Bastille Day.
Furthermore, where was there any criticism of the event itself that you so happily read in between the lines of my post. It was an honest question.
Uncalled for? I never apologize for an honest question or a joke.
And yes, it's sad it's gone.

I am not sad to see it go. Just another excuse for people to get hammered. It's actual meaning is all over the map http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cinco_de...

The USA doesn't celebrate Cinco de Mayo, but lots of places in the formerly Mexican territories do. (From what I hear, it gets more attention in former-Mexico than it does in Mexico.) The USA doesn't celebrate Chinese New Year, either, but when I was growing up in the Bay Area that was one of the best holidays of the year. Heaven help us if we have to take orders from Washington on what to celebrate in California.

England once ruled us (the US, that is) but we don't celebrate Guy Fawkes Day. On the other hand, we do celebrate Bastille Day here in SB. Go figure.

Beach Fan, "Latino heritage"?
Would that be Latin speaking people?
Who speaks Latin?

San Diego, Santa Barbara, Los Angeles, etc.... were named by the Spanish, not Mexicans, that would be Spaniards from Europe, not "Mexico", after the Eruopean nation of Spain stole this land and occupied a small iota of it.
During the time when California was part of "Nueva Espania" (new Spain) this land (and what is now Arizona) was called Province de California, it was not called "Mexico".

Does Santa Barbara, or any other California city celebrate Spains national holidays? After all, the European nation of Spain occupied California for several hundred years (albeit "occupy" is a stretch of the imagination, considering that California was hardly "colonized"), and the foreign nation of Mexico barely made a scratch in our history, from 1821 to 1846, a short 25 years, and even then California was not a "Mexican State" of the United Mexican States, but a "territory", still predominantly occupied by, and populated by the California tribes, who lived here long before any Spanish came from Europe, and long before any "Mexicans" came here from south.

During those 25 years, when Mexico "stole" this land from the California Indian tribes and claimed to "own" it, there was no such thing as Cinco de Mayo, because Cinco de Mayo, a "celebration" to commemorate the Mexican army's unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862, happened twenty years after California was not even claimed as a Mexican "territory".

Cinco de Mayo has no significance in the history of this state at all.

So when do we start celebrating Spains holidays?

So we celebrate Cinco de Mayo more than 4th of July...absolutely ridiculous. And yes, before California became a state, it was part of Mexico but the US won, too bad Mexico.

We also celebrate St. Patricks and Halloween and we aren't all Catholic, Irish, or Pagan.

Celebrating and making the entire town a mecca for anyone close enough to drive to are different things. But the down side of cancelling Cinco de Mayo...local businesses don't make important profits to keep stores open.

For something cultural to do on Cinco de Mayo, swing by Casa Dolores, a Mexican popular art museum in downtown Santa Barbara. We have the largest collection of Mexican folk art on the Central Coast.

On Saturday we're having the closing reception for our current exhibition.

"Ocumicho, Michoacán: A Devil's Workshop"
Closing Reception, 1 - 4 pm
@ the Botiller Adobe │ 1023 Bath Street │ SB, CA 93101
casadolores.org │info@casadolores.org │ 805.963.1032

me and my dumb question.

Hmmmmm.....2008??? Let's see....what happened in '08? Oh yeah...the Obamanation came down on us like a ton of bricks! Of course one must keep in mind that this IS California!
One reason we are belly-up is due to the tsunami of illegal aliens who have graced us with their presence over the last decade or so. Cinco de Mayo??? Whose holiday is it, anyhow? Surely SB could take up a collection from the resident squatters for their celebration.

Squeeky wheel got the oil my friend. Interesting responses though, I really like the Casa Dolores one, might have to take a look.

Can't blame the tsunami of illegal immigrants on Obama.

I thought we were talking about the inept Santa Barbara government, not illegal immigrants.

Cinco de Mayo: A overblown celebration of a marginally historic Mexican military victory over invading French forces in 1862 sponsored heavily, promoted primarily, and monetarily pillaged for all it's worth by American & European brewers.

Hic.

It is another excuse to drink just like many other supposed holidays that aren't really holidays.

Stinko De Mayo should be cancelled PERIOD!
It's not even celebrated in Mexico, so why here, except by
all the ILLEGAL Mezicans with their ILLEGAL Anchor Babies!
Thanks to NObama!

Good for Santa Barbara for making these flings pay for themselves. I expect that all the city is trying to do is to recoup costs that it incurs because of this event. Somebody has to get paid to clean up the mess after everyone has their fun and extra Pollice costs overtime. It sounds like fiscally responsible governance to me...the kind we need more of.

Oh and great move Marti Garcia the way you slammed your former sponsor by name in public. Good luck next year getting new sponsors. Looks like Wells Fargo made the right call too.

MacBoy: How is Obama any different on the issue you raised from his predecessors?

For the ignorant this is either a time to get drunk or an "illegal's" holiday, but for those of us who enjoy living in a country which has always been known as the "melting pot" we take the time to partake in a holiday that is enjoyed by a large part of our neighbors, citizens, or population. We get to experience another culture without leaving our country, and that has become part of our culture now. I am not French (or at least I don't think I have French in me) but I would celebrate Mardi Gras if in New Orleans, or Bastilles Day. I am not Irish, but I would still celebrate St. Patrick's with some shepards pie and a guiness. The benefit of these ethnic holidays (to me) has been that I was able to learn about a culture that I would not have had a chance to learn about otherwise, and yes, I have gotten drunk for the sake of "X" holiday.

Once again (sigh) the "vibe" at Cinco de Mayo in de la Guerra Plaza was always good and I never felt threatened or offended; I can't say the same for Fiesta.

Who is u to talk like that got dam black white brown fat skinny tall small .. Look ur self in the mirrow we all the same we all humas .. So stop racism .. Im not mexican or anythin im full AMERICAN and i treat people the way i will like to be treated .. So before u talk check ur self.. If u really that perfect.. Plus is good to learn about words cultures .. And plus all kinds of american people go to 5 de mayo celebration so quit it.. With the illigal words.. We eat from them they do work we dont wanna do.. Like workin on big filds . Stop been so RACISM

WTF

Dreamer: I have to assume you're one of the regular bloggers whose playing a joke on all of us but if by chance you're not let me educate you.

Go to Japan or Norway and you will notice that they have a very high standard of living and they don't exploit cheap immigrant labor. If they can do it we can too.

Next point: Who does the menial labor in--let's say North Dakota, Montana, or Alaska?

You may think you're being a friend to the Mexican people with the timeworn argument "they do the work Americans won't do" but the evidence suggests otherwise, and when you use that argument you (like the angry Progressives on the Left who like to put down the U.S.) are actually justifying the mal tratamiento (mistreatment) of Mexicans.

Dude i know wat u sayin and everybody thinks different my well in my case my parent educated me the rignt way .. And treat everybody with respect not thinkin on their looks color etc etc.. I got nothin agains anybody.. But it just gets me so mad how people can express them self like that about others.. Mexican people o other imigrants from the world is a hard workin people.. And not cuz one if them does wrong means everybody does the same.. Let say mexican people talk the same way about us .. U will feel ofended and probably the same back like "" like ... "" well mexican come to this country get jobs etc etc and now they sayin this and that "" u will respond the same so why juge people like that .. Plus this artical is talkin about why this event was canced i never read ... Mexican this illigal this and that so why u guys bringin all this crappy talk.. like i said befire fir me everybody is tge same and i respect their culture etc etc .. Period.. U belive in got well treatin people like that is not the way .. He gave his life for us.. he didnt give it out for us to turn this way agaist our brothers and sister .. Read the BIBLE and think about it.. He is not happy... THE AND ..JUST GET UR STIRY STRAIGHT.. AND READ THE A

Article again .. If it works..

MacBoy. Thanks for sharing hatred. We aren't upside down due to illegals. We are upside down due to massive overspending on social programs and not enough revenues to keep up. State pension systems are a huge burden, these employees aren't illegals. The Prison system has massive retirement pensions and we spend 10 time more on prisoners than we do maintaining our parks and beaches. Anchor babies? They don't even register as a fraction of 1% of medical or educational needs. Besides, "Anchor Babies" come is all races, colors.

At BillClausen. Agreed. Cinco de Mayo was family. Fiesta is drunks.