ST. LOUIS — St. Louis’ Cinco de Mayo festival is returning to Cherokee Street this year after in-person events were canceled the last two years due to COVID-19.
The festival will be held on May 7, 2022. It began more than 15 years ago and is organized by the nonprofit Cherokee Street Foundation. This year, the celebration will include three music stages, food, drinks and vendor booths from Cherokee Street businesses and the Lucha Libre wrestling ring.
Community members also plan to host the People’s Joy Parade, according to a press release from organizers.
“We’re thrilled to be bringing the Cinco de Mayo festival back in 2022,” John Joern, co-organizer of the festival, said in the release. “We heard from so many people over the past two years who were very sad that the festival wasn’t taking place in 2020 and 2021. It showed us how much the festival really means to St. Louisans and made us all the more excited to bring it back in 2022.”
The return of the festival will also be a boost for Cherokee Street’s small businesses.
“In years past, the Cinco de Mayo festival signified the largest sales day of the year for many of the street’s businesses. It means a lot for our district to be able to bring the event back and continue to shore up these businesses as they recover from the pandemic,” Emily Thenhaus, director of Cherokee Street Foundation, said in the release.
In 2020, the festival was canceled after COVID-19 shutdowns were announced and organizers pivoted to host a virtual celebration. In 2021, the street hosted Taco de Oro: Cherokee Street’s Taco Bracket throughout the month of May in lieu of the festival.
For more information on the festival, click here.
