Skip to main content
For 39 years, Portland has marked the arrival of May with one of the most vibrant celebrations in the Pacific Northwest. The Portland Cinco de Mayo Fiesta, Oregon’s largest multicultural festival, returns to Tom McCall Waterfront Park May 1-5, 2026, bringing five full days of live music, authentic Mexican food, cultural performances, and family-friendly activities to the Willamette riverfront.
Presented by the Portland Guadalajara Sister City Association, a non-profit that has spent four decades strengthening ties between Portland and its sister city of Guadalajara, Mexico, the festival draws around 50,000 attendees each year. Whether you are a longtime regular or showing up for the first time, five days is a lot to take in. Here is how to do it right.
Opens in new windowCome hungry. Very hungry.
With more than 40 food vendors lining the Portland waterfront, the Cinco de Mayo Fiesta is as much a food festival as it is a cultural one. These are family-owned operations serving the real thing, not funnel cake and lemonade territory. Plan to eat your way through the grounds across multiple visits, because one trip will not cut it.
The food you cannot miss
Opens in new windowDon’t miss the Machete at Taqueria Los Alambres, a 22-inch handmade corn dough situation that has become the stuff of festival legend. The challenge is finishing the whole thing. Birrieria PDX brings the birria nachos that keep people coming back year after year. Birrieria CDMX takes it a step further with birria pizza, which sounds unexpected and tastes exactly as good as you are hoping. La Chorrasca is widely regarded as the best roasted corn in Oregon, serving elotes and esquites that will ruin you for the grocery store version permanently. Rosas Churros handles dessert, filled or plain. El Camaron is the move if you are craving seafood. La Pica Chica, a small family-owned business, makes chamoy candy that is worth seeking out. For something refreshing, Raspados Del Sur has agua frescas and fresh fruit cups. Pinas Coladas Acapulco Style serves virgin piña coladas inside a whole pineapple, which is exactly as fun as it sounds.
The drinks go way beyond margaritas
Look for horchatas, tejuínos, and aguas frescas throughout the grounds. The festival’s michelada bar has become one of the most talked-about stops every year. For those who haven’t had one, a michelada is savory, spiced, and tomato-forward in a way that sounds strange and tastes great. The Cuervo Premier Tequila Tasting Experience is there for the 21-plus crowd looking to go deeper than a standard pour.
Five days of live music
Opens in new windowThe Mariachi Ciudad de Guadalajara, performing at the Portland Cinco de Mayo Fiesta for over 30 years and flying in direct from Jalisco, headlines the main stage across multiple performances. Ballet Folklorico Mexico En La Sangre, a beloved local troupe whose stomping footwork and spinning regional costumes represent different regions of Mexico, return alongside them. This year also brings Grupo Saya, a Mexico City cumbia band known for their infectious “Cumbia Francesa” sound and high-energy stage presence, and Banda Pura Sangre de Eric Rosales, a large Sinaloense banda straight from the state of Sinaloa delivering the bold brass-driven dance energy the genre is known for.
Sunday morning brings the Mariachi Mass at 10am in the Main Tent, open to everyone regardless of faith. It is one of the most genuinely moving things you will encounter at any Portland event all year, and it is the kind of thing first-timers always say they wish they had known about in advance. Now you know.
Beyond the main stage
First-timers consistently underestimate how much is packed into this Portland May festival. The Guadalajara Artisan Village, presented by Alaska Airlines, features craftspeople who have traveled directly from Guadalajara and Tonalá, Mexico. These are not mass-produced festival goods. Take time to browse and talk to the makers.
Opens in new windowThe Lucha Libre Wrestling matches running Friday through Sunday bring high-flying masked luchadores from Mexico and the Pacific Northwest in a spectacle that is genuinely family-friendly and genuinely thrilling. Friday’s Lowrider Car Show fills Tom McCall Waterfront Park with custom builds, hydraulic systems, and vintage paint jobs from enthusiasts across the Pacific Northwest. The Rip City Boxing Youth Tournament runs Saturday and Sunday, with semi-finals on Saturday afternoon and championship bouts on Sunday. Lotería, the beloved Mexican card game similar to bingo, is free to play at various times throughout the festival. Live muralists work throughout the weekend, bringing large-scale works to life that reflect the cultural connection between Portland and Guadalajara.
Bringing the kids
The Plaza de Niños kids tent offers free face painting, cultural crafts, and games daily. Kids 5 and under are free with a paid adult. It is one of the best family events in Portland in May.
Before you go: what to know
Buy Portland Cinco de Mayo tickets online before you go. Prices increase as the event approaches and tickets can sell out. Weekend passes are available at cincodemayoportland.com, and buying in advance is the easiest way to save money and skip the box office line on arrival.
Getting there is easy. Take MAX, which drops off one block from the festival at SW 1st and Oak Street, or use rideshare. There is no on-site parking and the festival does not offer parking validation. The closest SmartPark garage is at 33 NW Davis St if you do drive.
Carnival ride tickets are purchased separately on-site only through Funtastic Carnivals. Pets are not permitted on the festival grounds with the exception of certified service dogs in service jackets.
Hours and location
Friday, May 1 through Sunday, May 3: 11am to 11pm Monday, May 4 and Tuesday, May 5: 4pm to 10pm Tom McCall Waterfront Park, 98 SW Naito Pkwy, Portland, OR
Tickets and full festival information: cincodemayoportland.com
