Family Festival to Honor Mexican Culture

Westmont celebrates the 150th anniversary of Cinco de Mayo and Mexico’s vibrant culture with a day of fun activities, crafts, music, dance, storytelling, food and more on Saturday, March 24, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in and around the Westmont Ridley-Tree Museum of Art. “Días de México: A Family Festival” is free and open to the public.

“We want to welcome our neighbors to Westmont as we honor and explore Mexico’s rich history and cultural legacies at the heart of Santa Barbara,” says Judy L. Larson, director of the museum and R. Anthony Askew professor of art history.

Westmont president Gayle D. Beebe, Consul de Mexico Rogelio A. Flores Mejia, Rev. Gerald Torres of Reality Santa Barbara and Westmont senior biology major Jose Ramirez will speak at an opening ceremony at 10:30 a.m. at the Adams Center for the Visual Arts. Aztec dancers will perform following the ceremony. Other entertainment includes mariachi bands, a Vera Cruz performance, fashion show of regional dresses, dozens of crafts for children, weaving demonstrations and special foods. Westmont’s museum is showcasing two Mexican-themed exhibitions, “Rafael Perea de la Cabada: Alien Heartland” and “Mexican Prints: Selections from the Gil Garcia and Marti Correa de Garcia Collection.”

The festival is sponsored by the Consulado de Mexico in Oxnard, Federación de Clubes Jaliscienses del Sur de California, Art Resources, Steve Hanson Landscaping, Diane Dodds, Fundacion Jalisco USA, Puerto Vallarta Sister Cities, Mayo’s Mexican Deli and the México Tourism Board.

Free parking is available on campus. Also, Westmont shuttles will depart every 30 minutes from the parking lot of Scolari’s, 222 N. Milpas Street, offering free transportation from the Santa Barbara Eastside to campus between 9:30 a.m. and 4 p.m.