A Cinco De Mayo free festival and parade is set to take place May 4 and May 5 in downtown Stockton.

El Concilio, a nonprofit organization that offers a multitude of services primarily to the Hispanic population of the Central Valley, will be hosting the event at Weber Point Events Center located at 221 N. Center St.

The nonprofit said the celebration is dedicated to showing off the region’s diversity and cultures with food, drinks, games, live music, dancing, fun for the kids, contests, live entertainment, car shows and more.

Last year, over 22 vendors sold at the parade and filled the air with scents of enchiladas, tacos, burritos, burgers, fries and other Hispanic treats.

El Concilio said the festival last year was their most successful, with over 31,000 people attending.

Gates will open on May 4 at 11 a.m., but a 5K Family Fun Run will start at 9 a.m. and the day will wrap up with a late-night concert and comedy event until 8 p.m.

On May 5, gates will open at 10 a.m. with the annual parade that will continue until 6 p.m.

Victoria Franco is a reporter based in Stockton covering San Joaquin County for Bay City News Foundation and its nonprofit news site Local News Matters. She is a Report for America corps member.

Victoria Franco is a Stockton-based reporter covering the diverse news around the Central Valley as part of the Report for America program. As a Stockton native, Franco is proud to cover stories within her community and report a variety of coverage. She is a San Jose State University alumna with a Bachelor of Science degree in Journalism. In her collegiate years she was Managing Editor for the Spartan Daily. From her time at the Spartan Daily she helped lead her staff to California College Media Awards and a General Excellence first place. Victoria encourages readers to email her story tips and ideas at victoria.franco@baycitynews.com.