Thousands of locals celebrate “El Grito” in Coachella
On Sunday the City of Coachella celebrated “El Grito” at the Rancho Las Flores Park in Coachella. Thousands of locals attended the event.
“It’s a special day for Mexico. There’s a lot of free stuff, food, music…and it’s just fun to be around here and enjoy everything that they have,” said Yolanda Villejas, a local resident.
The event featured food trucks, vendors, live music, entertainment, and plenty of games and activities for kids. Locals say they’re grateful for the opportunity to celebrate Mexican independence and heritage together. “We like to celebrate where my parents came from and we like to celebrate with our family and the city where we came from,” said Gloria, a young resident of Coachella. She proudly showcased her handmade dress and jewelry: “My grandma made me these earrings from Mexico,” she said.
Coachella Mayor Steven Hernandez spoke at the event and discussed the significance of this day. “If you think about the city of Coachella and you think about the people who live here…the city is about 97% Latino, Mexicano…and of those 97% you got a lot of first generation newly immigrated and so for us it’s paying homage to the history as well as the traditions of Mexico,” said Hernandez. He says between 20 and 30 thousand people attend this event annually.
This year, it was made possible due to the partnership between the City of Coachella, the greater Coachella valley chamber of commerce, the consulate of Mexico in San Bernardino, and media partners KUNA and La Poderosa.
Lieutenant Colonel Buendia of the Mexican Air Force says this day is about showing pride for his country and taking a moment to appreciate freedom: “It’s very important to to us because it means freedom. It means we can have free education. It means we can choose our kind of work.”
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Noticias en español: Telemundo 15
