Rain fell on Downtown Phoenix as the fifth annual El Grito celebration got underway Saturday, but it didn't stop thousands of people from filling the streets near Fourth Avenue and Washington Street with mariachi music, folklórico dancing and the smell of grilled meat drifting from vendor stalls. The celebration also featured a ceremonial call and fireworks.
The festival, presented by Phoenix City Councilmember Betty Guardado alongside the United Phoenix Firefighters Association, has become one of Arizona's largest and most significant Hispanic cultural events, according to FOX 10 Phoenix. The Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce also referenced the event in a Facebook post from the chamber. In past years the event has attracted nearly 20,000 people from across the Valley, FOX 10's reporting notes.
Headlining acts this year included the quebradita groups La Original Banda Maguey and Banda Mach, alongside lucha libre wrestling, as reported by the Daily Independent. The night built toward an 8:15 p.m. ceremonial call featuring the 60-member Banda de Guerra Bomberos Nogales, with fireworks also part of the event, per the same outlet's account of the festival grounds near Phoenix City Hall.
A Councilmember's Case for the Celebration
For Guardado, who represents District 5 on the Phoenix City Council, the festival is about more than entertainment. She said the event highlights Phoenix's Latino community and its traditions, and put it plainly: the celebration puts Latino culture on the map and shows how people celebrate in Mexico, according to FOX 10's report. Guardado has pointed out that the Phoenix area is about 45% Latino, a figure she has cited in explaining why the event resonates so widely across the city.
She also noted a quieter reason the festival matters to many families: many residents lack the means to return to Mexico for the holiday, making the downtown celebration a meaningful stand-in for those who cannot travel home, per FOX 10's coverage of her comments. The event honors Mexican Independence, commemorating September 16, 1810, when Catholic priest Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla issued the historic “Grito de Dolores” call to arms in Guanajuato, launching an 11-year war against Spanish rule, as Hoodline has reported.
Family Recipes Find a New Audience
Among the vendors was Scrappy Tacos and More, run by Bianca Campos and Ramon Campos, who combine Bianca's native heritage with Ramon's roots in Jalisco, Mexico. Ramon Campos said the chicken and tri-tip recipes have been in his family for years, tracing the tradition back to Jalisco, according to FOX 10's report. The festival, he and Bianca have said, gives local businesses a chance to showcase their food and reach new customers who might not otherwise find them.
Hispanic purchasing power in Arizona was projected to reach $57.3 billion by 2022, according to the Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce's DATOS report as analyzed by AZ Big Media. For local businesses and small food vendors, events like El Grito can provide opportunities to showcase their offerings, reach new customers and make extra sales.
A City Built on Latino Heritage
The demographic backdrop helps explain the festival's scale. Over 716,000 residents, or 42.6% of Phoenix's population, identify as Hispanic or Latino, according to U.S. Census Bureau decennial data and recent American Community Survey estimates, and Phoenix ranked sixth among major cities for Hispanic population. Statewide, Hispanics make up 31.7% of Arizona's population and represent 50% of the state's K-12 public school enrollment, per AZ Big Media's analysis of census data.
Downtown Phoenix's celebration took place that weekend. The festival took place before the start of Hispanic Heritage Month.
Hoodline previously reported on the history of El Grito de Dolores, including the call to arms issued by Father Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla. Downtown's street-level celebration is another observance of the holiday.
