by Pocha Peña, Op Ed on the elimination of Santa Ana’s Cinco de Mayo festival, 2018:
City Festivals do more than provide cheap entertainment, fun rides and new customers. They can create a sense of place and the anticipated joy which pulls populations thru difficult times. Even the Romans knew the importance of “Bread & Circuses” to keeping the civic peace!
So why would a group of folks presume, however well-meaning, to eliminate a nearly 20-year tradition? It seems foolhardy, reckless & short-sighted. Not only are festivals of Santa Ana Cinco’s size (over 100,000 attendees each year) huge cultural assets, they hold the potential to build huge revenue.