Cinco De Mayo Road Closures Disrupt Traffic Over The Weekend
DENVER (CBS4)- Several events in downtown Denver this weekend will disrupt traffic, including the Cinco de Mayo Festival and the Denver Derby.
The Cinco de Mayo Festival is Saturday and Sunday at Civic Center Park. Road closures and barricades started going up at 5 a.m. Friday.
Road closures are in place surrounding Civic Center Park including Broadway, Colfax Avenue, Bannock Street, Cherokee, 15th Street and Court Place.
The festival typically attracts at least 400,000 people. The festival will run Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The festivities include a slice of Mexican culture with arts and crafts, Mariachi bands, costumed Aztec and Folklorico dancers, entertainment on three stages and a variety of Mexican culinary delights.
This is the 25th Anniversary of what is considered one of the largest Cinco de Mayor festivals in the U.S.
The celebration begins with the 20th annual parade at 10 a.m. on Saturday. The parade route begins at Welton and Colfax and continues up Welston to 17th Street and south on Lincoln Street.
LINKS: Parade Route Information | Street Closure Information
There will also be traffic delays and rerouting along Federal Boulevard from West 38th to West Florida Avenue where traditional cruising takes place throughout the weekend.
To reduce the impact of traffic in the neighborhoods, access to side streets will be limited to neighborhood residents only. When traffic congestion increases, east-west traffic across Federal Boulevard will be restricted to major intersections including Evans Avenue, Jewell Avenue, Floria Avenue, Mississippi Avenue, Alameda Avenue, U.S. 6th, West 10th Avenue and major intersections north of West 20th Avenue.
If traffic volume becomes to great, police will divert traffic from portions of Federal Boulevard.
The Denver Derby is Saturday from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday. The 2012 Derby Party is a fundraiser benefiting the Sean "Ranch" Lough Memorial Scholarship.
During that party 14th will be closed from Curtis to Stout and Champa will be closed from 13th to 15th.
