Mexican Independence Day Festival Renamed
Fiestas Patrias, the annual weekend celebration commemorating Mexican Independence Day, has been renamed.
This year’s downtown festival, Sept. 15 and 16, will be called Fiesta of the Americas, said Frank Palmer, one of the businesspeople helping organize the event that typically attracts thousands.
The old name might have made the festival seem like a Mexican event, and the new name is intended to send a message that everybody is welcome, organizers said.
“We wanted to expand our scope,” said Palmer, who owns a tax preparation and insurance firm. The new name “may be encouraging others to join in.”
Last year’s festival, which featured music, food and crafts, drew 275,000.
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