Just thinking about Mexican Fiesta elicits a parade of the senses: the sounds of norteño, banda and mariachi music; the sights of folkloric dancing and handmade crafts; and the sweet smell and taste of pan de feria, the fest’s signature treat.
What might not come to mind is Mexican Fiesta’s mission. “It’s basically a fundraiser for the Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation,” which financially supports local Hispanic students in higher education, says the fest’s brand and outreach specialist, Jesus Lomelí. Mexican Fiesta has raised over $2 million for the foundation since it began in 1987. The scholarship awards come with the stipulation that students must complete a minimum of 20 hours of volunteer service at the festival.
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“Everyone that the people see from the moment they walk in – scanning the tickets, greeting them – those are all scholarship recipients,” says Lomelí, adding that many of them continue helping out at the festival after the program.
It’s not just young folks whom Mexican Fiesta, one of Milwaukee’s longest-running ethnic festivals, works to uplift. Local nonprofits run the beer and cocktail concessions and keep a portion of the profits. And the fest flies in chefs and artesanos from Mexico to “support the people back home,” Lomelí says. He thinks building these relationships is “what helps us keep growing every year.”
The entertainment doesn’t hurt either. Aside from the loaded musical lineup, the car show, soccer tournament, and jalapeño-eating and el grito (mariachi yell) contests, a new attraction has entered the ring: boxing. RReal Athletics will stage the first Fiesta Boxing Classic with Guadalajara’s Christian “Chispa” Medina and Milwaukee’s own Daniel Blancas sitting ringside. Mexican Fiesta returns Aug. 21-23 at Henry Maier Festival Park.
