Bridgeton Celebrates Cinco de Mayo with Downtown Festivities
Bridgeton High School Latin American Club Performs at Cinco de Mayo Festival. Photo by Justin Roig
BY JUSTIN ROIG | For AC JosepH Media
BRIDGETON — Hundreds gathered at the Cohansey Riverfront at 2 East Commerce Street on Sunday, May 3rd to honor Cinco de Mayo and the Mexican community in Bridgeton.
Cumbia, Bolero, Mariachi, and other musical genres filled the festival as attendees patronized the many vendors, games, and performances the celebration had to offer.
Food Vendors at the Cinco de Mayo Celebration, Alexander Gonzalez of Botanas Locas (Right). Photo by Justin Roig
The event contained many events such as a taco eating contest, talent show, beauty pageant, and a procession of horses and a small float adorned with cultural regalia and children waving Mexican flags.
Organized by the Bridgeton Urban Enterprise Zone, the festival attracts hundreds of people from across the region the the Cohansey Riverfront each year to honor Cinco de Mayo and Bridgeton’s Mexican community.
Photos by Justin Roig
Cinco de Mayo in the imagination of many Americans is confused for Mexican independence day, which is really September .., or as a day to celebrate Mexican, Mexican-American, and Chicano culture. For the Mexican community in Bridgeton however the day holds a special meaning.
Cinco de Mayo commemorates Victoria De Puebla during the Second Franco-Mexican. In this battle 4,000 Mexican Soldiers defeated 8,000 French troops despite being heavily outnumbered. This victory prevented the colonization of the Mexican Republic by France and the installation of a puppet government in the region.
Many of Bridgeton’s Mexicans hail or descend from the State of Puebla, the site of the battle and much of the war. In Puebla Cinco de Mayo is a major regional celebration.
The different states of Mexico and their respective cultures were well represented at today’s festival with an emphasis on showing not just the cultural diversity of the city, but of the Mexican community as a whole.
Stephanie Gonzalez, the city’s UEZ Coordinator and the daughter of Mexican and Salvadoran immigrants, spoke to the importance of highlighting the regional diversity within the city’s Mexican community.
“When we planned this event, we made sure that we honored all the regions, and everyone had a chance to showcase where they’re from, what delicious food they have in their region, because even though it’s Mexico, everyone has different flavors. So that’s why we did it that way,” Gonzalez said.
Stephanie Gonzalez (left) bestowing gifts to the Miss Cinco de Mayo Winners. Photo by Justin Roig
Immigrants from Mexico started arriving in numbers to Bridgeton in the late 1980s, many coming as agricultural workers. These immigrants from Mexico and their descendants have been credited with breathing new life into the city, which saw many of the industrial manufacturers that had dominated the city’s economy close their doors in the last two decades of the 20th century.
Performances from community youths, many of which were part of the Bridgeton High School Latin American Club, amongst other groups, represented the folkloric traditions of Mexican states such as Jalisco, Veracruz, Oaxaca, Nayarit, and Puebla. A performance representing Chicano and Houndoran cultures was also performed.
Ruby Lopez of Grupo Tecuanes De La Mixteca, one of the groups who performed at the celebration, spoke of the importance of ensuring these traditions are passed down.
“Thanks to my father, he learned it from his ancestors and brought it on to come to my kids, with his grandkids,” Lopez said. “If it wasn’t because of bringing it, passing it down like my children probably would not know any clue whatsoever. So it is important, because if not, then it’ll just be erased. You won’t know anything from where we originally come from.”
Ruby Lopez (center) and Tecuanes de La Mixteca. Photo by Justin Roig
Cinco de Mayo was celebrated this year in the wake of a wave of ICE raids in Bridgeton and Cumberland County targeting the immigrant community starting in December of 2025.
For many, celebrating this year sent a message that their community isn’t going anywhere.
Valeria Avila, of Avila Designs LLC, was one of the event’s vendors. Her family emigrated from Mexico City to Bridgeton in the early 2000s. She spoke to how the celebration provides an alternative to negative portrayals of her community in mass media.
“It shows that everybody’s welcome here, and that every culture deserves to be celebrated,” Avila said. “It’s terrible what’s been happening, and I feel like this event is giving an opportunity to more people in Bridgeton to get to know a different culture, get to experience music, food, clothing, just to see something else different than the media is displaying.”
Valerie and Adrian Avila at their vending stall. Photo by Justin Roig
Solidarity was also expressed by other members of Bridgeton’s ethnic communities. Jay Young, a local boxing coach, wore a shirt he designed to the event expressing solidarity between the Black and Mexican communities, particularly undocumented community members. Young wants to see more unity and solidarity between the two communities and more people standing up to ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement).
“I believe that all people should stand in solidarity, but it’s not happening. As far as the Blacks and the Mexicans, we’re kind of treated like stepchildren by the others,” Young said. “So, I just wanna show that we, the Blacks and the Mexicans, can get along and make a difference.”
Jay Young. Photo by Justin Roig
Bridgeton Councilwoman Rosemary DiQuinzo, spoke of the similarities between the nativism her mother, an Italian immigrant, faced when she emigrated, and the discrimination against the immigrant community today.
“I’m a first-generation Italian. I know it was like, the first sign my mother learned to read was ‘help wanted, Italians need not apply.”
DiQuinzo said that in a time of fear for many of Bridgeton’s residents, that it is important to celebrate this culturally significant festival.
“I hope it does show that we are proud of the community. I hope it does show the citizens and the people of this community that we are open and we’re here to help everyone”
Mayor Albery Kelly, the first African-American mayor of Bridgeton, had this to say about the contributions the Mexican Immigrant community has made to the city of Bridgeton’s economic and cultural life.
“The Mexican population has been instrumental into the success of the city of Bridgeton, just like the festival here today, I’ve never had a festival, seen a festival this large. So I’m proud that our Mexican neighbors and citizens have done things like this throughout the year.”
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