HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) — Culture, history, and community combine this weekend as one of the city’s biggest Hispanic celebrations returns to downtown Houston.
The 2025 LULAC District 8 Cinco de Mayo Parade will bring dozens of colorful vehicles and floats, live performances, and an opportunity for schools, businesses and organizations to celebrate alongside each other.
ABC13 anchor Mayra Moreno will serve as emcee during the event which is slated to start at 10 a.m. and last until noon.
ABC13 will be livestreaming all the sights and sounds on Saturday at 10 a.m.
The celebration is important to Mexican Americans, but is not, as it is often misidentified or confused with, Mexico’s Independence Day. (That would be El Grito on Sept. 16.)
Still, it’s pretty pivotal.
Cinco de Mayo actually commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over France at the Battle of Puebla, during the Franco-Mexican War.
“For us, Cinco de Mayo is very precious, and it should definitely be appreciated not just by Latinos, but by everyone,” Mary Ramos, who has been organizing the parade for more than two decades, told ABC13 in 2024. “Everyone in the community is welcome.”
SEE ALSO: The origin of Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the U.S. according to a UCLA scholar
WATCH: 2023 LULAC Dist. 8 Cinco de Mayo Parade
Astros legend Jose Cruz was honored as a co-grand marshal during the return of the LULAC Houston Cinco de Mayo Parade in 2023.
Ramos said the parade has grown exponentially over the years, keeping pace with Houston’s growing Latin and Hispanic communities.
Citing the U.S. Census Bureau, our partners at the Houston Chronicle note the 10-county Houston metropolitan area is home to the fourth-largest Hispanic and Latino populations in the nation. That’s after only Los Angeles, New York City and Miami.
Bureau data in 2022 found that Hispanic people made up 40.2% of the population, officially making up the largest population group in Texas.
The Hispanic community also has a strong voice in entrepreneurship.
In 2023, the Houston Hispanic Chamber of Commerce shared that 42% of all businesses in the city are owned by Hispanic people, accounting for more than 150,000 businesses.
Business owner or not, it’s not too late to get involved in the parade.
“For a few years, there were just 12 of us that did the entire parade,” Ramos said. “Now we get dozens and dozens of volunteers from all over.”
You can learn more about volunteering by visiting LULAC’s website.
2025 LULAC Cinco de Mayo Parade Route
- Starts on Dallas at Bagby
- East on Dallas
- North on Louisiana
- West on Walker
- South on Smith
- West on Lamar
- Ends on Lamar at Bagby
ABC13 is proud to be the official media partner of LULAC District 8’s Cinco de Mayo Parade.
PHOTOS: LULAC Houston Cinco de Mayo Parade 2023
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