John Morrissey knows all about Denver traffic. He has been the morning traffic reporter on KYGO for the last eight years. You’ll hear him doing traffic on KKFN, The Fan, too. Welcome to the drive.

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Cinco de Mayo. Nobody Does It Like Denver.

2 comments

May 2, 9:33 AM

by John Morrissey, Denver Traffic Examiner

This weekend is Cinco de Mayo. It is May’s super Mexican celebration and one of the biggest parties on the globe is right here in Denver. Thousands of people jam Civic Center Park, there is a great parade that winds through downtown and cruising is the rule up and down Federal Blvd. all weekend long.

First, a little history.
Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican independence day. Mexico’s independence day falls on September 16th. Cinco de Mayo, the fifth of May, celebrates the Battle of Puebla when General Ignacio Zaragoza Sequin led his totally outnumbered Mexican army to victory over an invading French army on May 5th, 1862. Over the years, things change and today, Cinco de Mayo in America is more of a celebration of Mexican culture and pride. Like St. Patrick's Day when everyone is Irish, you do not have to be from Mexico to enjoy Cinco de Mayo, either. Just like Irish day in March, you ought to get out and enjoy this wonderful weekend of Mexican culture.

Cinco de Mayo Festival, Civic Center Park-Saturday and Sunday 10am to 8pm
400,000 people will flood downtown for this weekend's Cinco de Mayo Festival. Expect lots of extra traffic on I-25 and around the state capitol. Here is a great link where you can find a lot more info about this great festival.

Cinco de Mayo Parade, downtown-Saturday 10am
This colorful parade gives us another reason to head downtown. The route winds through the skyscrapers and ends at Civic Center park, at the foot of the capitol. Expect road closures downtown and you can bet parking lots have raised their rates during this event. Funny how that happens.

Cruising Federal Blvd-Saturday and Sunday afternoon and evening
Cruising is an American tradition and a byproduct of Cinco de Mayo is cruising Federal Blvd. Expect the cops to be out in force and some of the side streets will closed to everyone except local residents. Even with those restrictions, traffic will be allowed to cross Federal at most intersections, unless it becomes a major snafu. Then, Denver cops will only allow cross traffic at Evans Ave, Jewell Ave, Florida Ave, Mississippi Ave, Alameda Ave, US-6, W. 10th Ave, W. 23rd Ave, Speer Boulevard, W. 38th Ave, W. 46th Ave, Interstate 70, and W. 50th Ave. District 9 councilwoman Judy Montero has posted the DPD press release so you can more information about the restrictions on Federal Blvd. during Cinco de Mayo.

What am I gonna do this weekend? Well, since gas prices are so high, I think I will take light rail downtown for the parade. That way, I can avoid the high cost of parking in one of those city lots, too. After the parade, I'll hang around downtown for the Cinco de Mayo Festival. You know, make a day of celebrating Mexican culture in America. If you want to join me, here is a link to RTD where you can get the latest bus and light rail schedules.

Enjoy the fun! It's Cinco de Mayo time in Denver, one of the largest celebrations of Mexican culture on the planet.

Topics: RTD , Cinco de Mayo , Denver

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