Cinco de Mayo is celebrated on May 5, and this year, Airdrie's Wild Card Shack pub and eatery will be hosting Spanish rock band La Santa to celebrate.
Wild Card Shack in Summerfield invited La Santa, a Calgary-based Spanish rock band, to come celebrate the holiday this Friday. Band founder and bass player Fredy Rivas said the band covers multiple Latin American artists and is excited to play the show in Airdrie this Friday.
“We play some covers from Latin American bands – songs from Chile, Argentina, and Colombia,” he said.
With their love of rock music, La Santa is inspired from communities throughout Calgary and by listening to the music of other artists. The reason the band came together was for the love of rock.
According to The New York Times, Cinco de Mayo is a significant day for the people of Mexico as it commemorates the defeat of the French army that took place on May 5, 1862, in what is now the Mexican city of Puebla. With the Mexicans occupying the east-central city of Puebla and the two forts Loreta and Guadalupe, the French armies began their move on the city.
The French army was much more equipped in comparison to the smaller Mexican army. ThoughtCo mentions the French brought roughly 6,000 soldiers, while Mexico had around 4,500.
The French were also armed with better equipment, giving them a large advantage over their counterparts.
ThoughtCo also notes the French believed Puebla would fall quickly, and the people would surrender, sparking them to begin their attack. The Mexican people surprised the French and by the third attack, began running out of shells, forcing them to retreat. The Mexican people had almost fallen but stood their ground in defiance. This marks the important day of the Battle of Puebla and why Cinco de Mayo is celebrated to this day.
Doors to Friday's concert open at 8 p.m. with the show starting at 9 p.m. Tickets are $5 and can be purchased on the Showpass website.
