April 24--The 27th annual Fiesta Broadway kicked off Sunday in downtown Los Angeles, with performances scheduled throughout the day by various Latin American artists as well as carnival games and rides.
The festival, which is considered L.A.'s premier Cinco de Mayo event, is centered around downtown's Civic Center, and runs until 6 p.m. Broadway and Spring Street are closed from Temple to 2nd streets.
Thousands turned out to enjoy performances from several Latin American artists as well Mexican food from local vendors. Some of the musical acts include Hermanas Arteaga, Villa 5 and Christian Felix.
This year's fiesta grand marshal is popular Mexican singer and actor Pablo Montero.
But some of those attending the free festival noted how it has changed over the years as downtown has changed. The event used to extend down Broadway from Temple Street to about 7th Street and drew tens of thousands.
Anthony Figueroa, 18, said he had been coming with his family to Fiesta Broadway for the last five years. During that time, he said, they've witnessed the festival grow more sedate, along with a steady dwindling of the crowds that used to throng downtown.
"We were talking about it on the ride here -- that we noticed there wasn't as many activities and it seemed a bit smaller," Figueroa said Sunday as he walked down a closed-off section of 1st Street in front of Los Angeles City Hall. In the past, he said, "it felt a bit more populated, I guess."
He said he still comes to the event because his parents like it. "Solo, I probably wouldn't," he said.
Ivth Gutierrez, who said she has run a shaved-ice concession at the fiesta for 24 years, had yet to see much business on Sunday as of lunchtime. She said she thought the event's truncation at 2nd Street -- because of subway construction -- had choked off some of the event's old liveliness.
"It used to be bigger," she said. "Before it used to be all of Broadway, so it was one big street."
peter.jamison@latimes.com
carlos.lozano@latimes.com
