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New Horizon Mall celebrates Cinco de Mayo

Fiesta grande
New Horizon Mall is holding a Cinco de Mayo celebration May 4, celebrating Mexican and Latin American heritage and culture.

New Horizon Mall (NHM) in East Balzac will be awash in Mexican and Latin American culture May 4, when the mall celebrates its first Cinco de Mayo from 1 to 3 p.m. in the venue’s atrium.

NHM Marketing Manager Alexandra Winn said the “free, family fiesta” will include games for kids and performances that reflect Mexican and Latin American culture. She said the celebration will be fun for the whole family.

“We’ll be featuring the Masks International Show, [which will] be performing some circus acts as a Mexican Macho,” she said.

“We also have the Havana Cuban Dance Studio coming in to do some dancing and some cultural performances. We have lots of games on-site for kids and adults. We’ll have a cactus ring toss, taco battles, sombrero games and a traditional piñata on-site, as well.”

While the mall, which opened in May 2018, is primarily an Asian-themed shopping centre, Winn said the NHM is purposefully multicultural and has a few Latin American-themed stores, as well.

Celebrating cultural holidays has been a priority for the facility, she added. Other events NHM has celebrated in the past year include the Hindu festival of Holi in March, and the September Mid-Autumn Festival, a harvest festival celebrated in some Southeast Asian countries.

“We want to be a destination for entertainment and community events,” Winn said. “We want to make sure we’re putting on must-see cultural experiences. That’s what makes us unique, and that’s how we want to be seen.”

Cinco de Mayo – Spanish for ‘Fifth of May’ – celebrates the Mexican army’s successful victory on that date against French naval forces at the Battle of Puebla in 1862, during the Franco-Mexican War.

According to History.com, Mexican forces successfully defended their base at Puebla de Los Angeles in central Mexico from the French, despite being considerably outnumbered. French forces retreated from Puebla after the day-long battle, in which more than 500 French soldiers were killed. The Mexicans, meanwhile, lost fewer than 100.

While the date is not widely celebrated throughout Mexico, according to History.com, in the United States, it has evolved into a wider celebration of Mexican heritage and culture – particularly in cities with large Hispanic populations, like Los Angeles, Houston and Miami. The day often features parades, traditional music and food, and a party-like atmosphere.

“It’s a really bright culture, lots of fun, lots of cultural talent and performances,” Winn said. “We’re just excited to be a part of it, and to be a part of that celebration.”

Winn said attendees should come early if they wish to see the Masks International Show and the Havana Cuban Dance Studio’s performances.

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