Cinco de Mayo Celebration Shines Despite Rain in Bridgeton
Dancer Mineydi De Leon performs at the Bridgeton Cinco de Mayo festival on May 4, 2025. Photo by Paige Britt
BY PAIGE BRITT | For AC JosepH Media
BRIDGETON — Rainy conditions and grey skies did not stop the Bridgeton community from having an early Cinco de Mayo festival in Bridgeton on Sunday, May 4.
With 55 vendors, food trucks, and bouncy houses, the people of Bridgeton embraced the weather and joined the celebration.
Organized by the New Jersey Urban Enterprise Zone (UEZ) in collaboration with Bridgeton officials, the community fiesta supported small business owners in the area and gave them the opportunity to network with others.
In 2023 the population of Bridgeton was under 27,000, with more than half identifying as being Hispanic.
One of the businesses featured was Moda Artesanal, a family-owned clothing shop based in town who gets their items directly from Mexico.
“Any dresses you want, any size you want, we make it,” said Cruz Martinez Bautista, one of the owners of the business.
Bautista and Antonieta Cruz are opening a brick-and-mortar store at 36 East Commerce Street in Bridgeton, where they have lived for about 30 years. They sell traditional style dresses, shirts, and ponchos.
Another family-owned clothing and accessory business, Avimar Designs LLC, has done events in Vineland but are branching out into the Bridgeton community.
Valuria Avila, who works in the business with her family, wants to introduce Mexican culture to South Jersey. They also provide jobs to local artisans to design their clothing and jewelry.
“We’re very happy to do events like these, so everybody feels represented and they get a chance to come out and get to know their community,” said Avila.
In addition to the local businesses featured, there were traditional Mexican food trucks, face painting, live music and performances, and an inflatable bull ride.
Lighting up the gloomy day was the Bridgeton High School folk dance group, who performed dances in brightly colored Jalisco dresses. This traditional style of dress has a double-circle skirt that flows during the dances and is adorned with vibrant ruffles and ribbons. The group performed six dances, including solo and duo performances.
Local artist Brandon Mendieta painted under a tent and had his work on display for attendees. Mendieta recently acquired a studio in downtown Bridgeton with the help of Gallery 50, who helped him be a part of the event.
“When I was asked what I wanted to be in preschool, I knew like it was light and day; I wanted to be an artist, so here I am,” said Mendieta.
Mendieta hoped to inspire attendees with his artwork, which included eye-catching bright pinks and purple hues, as well as a painting of a little brown Chihuahua.
“It’s a big day for, in this case, the Mexican people, and me being Mexican and also here. I want to motivate other people that might be interested in the arts,” said Mendieta.
Stephanie Gonzalez, coordinator of UEZ, organized the event and brought the community together to celebrate Mexican culture. Gonzalez is half Mexican and half Salvadorian. Her parents came to the U.S. to provide a better life for her and her brother.
“I’m really thankful they did because we’re able to blend our culture here together still, and Bridgeton, New Jersey is a big melting pot…Mexico has different states in it just like the United States. I think tonight we represented a lot of those states in Mexico, which I’m very proud of,” said Gonzalez.
Despite the rain, Gonzalez was grateful to her community for coming together to uplift one another.
“We’re supporting the local business owners, as well as a lot of the schools came out to support…I’m just really thankful. The mayor came out to support us…We’re just a big, beautiful event out here,” said Gonzalez.
Denise Jackson, the executive director of the Cumberland Empowerment Zone (CEZ), partners with Bridgeton UEZ to provide small business owners with resources to help them get their feet off the ground.
“Business owners can take advantage through seminars, workshops, and loans to grow their business, or start a business plan, to work their way into entrepreneurship,” said Jackson.
Vice President of the Board of Trustees for the Bridgeton Public Library and acting director Michelle Azpiri had children’s books available for a small donation and advertised free programs for children being held at the library.
“The program helps keep them active, doing things that are productive, that they can figure out what they enjoy in life,” said Azpiri.
Mayor Albert Kelly, who was elected as the town’s first African American fmayor in 2010, was especially proud of the turnout despite the weather.
“The reason I always say the City of Bridgeton is great is because of events like this in which our city comes together to celebrate the different cultures, especially the Spanish culture we have in the city,” said Kelly.
EDITOR’S NOTE: Paige Britt is a recent journalism graduate from Rowan University in Glassboro. She is passionate about telling people-focused stories that give voice to the voiceless. This is her first story with Front Runner New Jersey.com.
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