Making a comeback after a pandemic break in 2020, Atlanta’s yearly celebration of Mexican Independence Day will take place this Sunday, Sept. 12 in Plaza Fiesta, the popular Latino mall on Buford Highway.
The “Fiestas Patrias” event – which made its debut in Plaza Fiesta in 2003 – will be held for the first time since 2019, when the free, daylong festival drew over 60,000 visitors. Event organizers say a similarly sized turnout is expected this year.
“This has become a big tradition for the Hispanic community in Atlanta,” said Jorge Gómez, Plaza Fiesta’s marketing director.
Drawing crowds year after year to Fiestas Patrias is the Mexican cuisine on hand, as well as the slate of entertainers paying homage to Mexican culture.
Headlining the festivities Sunday will be two bands who are flying in from Mexico: La Original Banda Limón de Salvador Lizárraga, from Sinaloa, and Los Consentidos Cadetes de Linares, from Linares. Mexican soprano Alejandra Sandoval will perform the Mexican national anthem.
Traditional Mexican folklore dancers will also take the stage during the event – which is scheduled to kick off at noon – as will local artists like El Mayito de Michoacán, Juan Miguel (El Charro de Aguascalientes), and the bands Grupo Infiel and Bandido Norteño.
Mexican Independence Day is formally recognized on September 16. The holiday celebrates the moment a revolutionary leader first called for Mexican independence from Spain in 1810. It’s a day of much greater meaning in Mexico than Cinco de Mayo, which looms larger in U.S. culture and commemorates a Mexican military victory over France during the Second Franco-Mexican War in the 1860s.
At Fiestas Patrias, much like in Independence Day festivities across Mexico, a highlight of the event comes with the “Grito Mexicano,” a patriotic shout that lists the names of key revolutionary figures during the Mexican War of Independence, and concludes with three cries of “Viva Mexico!” As is tradition, the Consul General of Mexico in Atlanta, Javier Díaz de León, will recite the Grito.
Mask wearing will be mandatory for vendors, but not for guests.
Lautaro Grinspan is a Report for America corps member covering metro Atlanta’s immigrant communities.
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