Fireworks Set for Cinco de Mayo

Indians, carnival jazz wheels, the American bald eagle and the Mexican flag will erupt into fiery Mexican-style fireworks tonight in celebration of Cinco de Mayo at 8:30 at Embarcadero Marina Park in Seaport Village.

Patterned after a Mexican castillo, a fireworks display on a 50-foot tower-like structure that resembles a castle, this is the first such pyrotechnic display of its kind in San Diego. It will combine traditional spinning wheels, sparkling fountains and burning Mexican symbols.

Unlike the aerial bombs that America uses on July 4, the castillo typically burns for 19 minutes. The finale will include a barrage of stars shooting 175 feet high in an aerial garden of golden flowers symbolizing prosperity for both the United States and Mexico.

The fireworks display has been staged by National Fireworks Ensemble, a U.S. touring company of pyrotechnicians, choreographers and special effects artists.

Other Cinco de Mayo celebrations include “Rayna’s Spanish Ballet,” a four-member Flamenco dance group which will perform at 5:30, 6:30 and 7:30 p.m. on the stage in the Bazaar del Mundo courtyard in Old Town. A Mexican folk dance troupe, “Hispanic Mexican Ballet,” will also perform at 6 and 7 p.m.