AUSTIN, Texas—Folkloric dancers in colorful costumes, musicians playing and singing traditional Mexican songs and a car dance contest are among the many activities planned at The University of Texas at Austin during its Cinco de Mayo celebration.
The festivities are a celebration of an historic battle on May 5, 1862, when 4,000 Mexican soldiers smashed a French army of about 8,000 at Puebla, Mexico, 100 miles east of Mexico City, and set the stage for Mexico’s independence from France.
The celebration on Cinco de Mayo (Saturday, May 5) will be from noon until 6 p.m. on the South Mall on the main campus, and is free and open to the public. It will begin with mariachi music, followed by the Roy Lozano Ballet Folklorico, Greek fraternity step dance teams, a car dance contest, performances by Grupo Aztlan, the Aztlan Dance Company and Latin Swing. At 3:50 p.m., there will be a Cinco de Mayo play, followed by performances at 4:05 p.m. by Vatos Locos and at 4:50 p.m. by Capone. An awards presentation will be held at 5:35 p.m.
