Cinco de Mayo Fiesta
Portland Guadalajara Sister-City Association
Oregon’s largest multicultural celebration returned to Portland’s downtown waterfront for a four-day cultural takeover of Tom McCall Waterfront Park.
OREGONS’S LARGEST MULTICULTURAL CELEBRATION
Portland’s downtown waterfront for a four-day cultural takeover of Tom McCall Waterfront Park.
With headlining performances by Grupo Control, Banda Zeta, and the internationally renowned Mariachi Ciudad de Guadalajara, the festival featured an expansive lineup of music, food, Lucha Libre wrestling, boxing, artisan showcases, and family activities—drawing over 50,000 attendees in its first year back.
STRATEGIC SOLUTIONS
CHALLENGE
Reinvigorate the festival after a multi-year hiatus due to COVID, rebuild public confidence amid immigration-related media narratives, and stand out in a saturated spring entertainment calendar—all while scaling programming and operations citywide.
INSIGHT
To reignite excitement and reestablish cultural trust, the festival needed more than a relaunch—it required a complete creative transformation focused on authenticity, inclusivity, and a bold new identity.
SOLUTION
Treadway Events led a top-to-bottom reinvention, delivering a full rebrand including a new logo, visual identity, and event layout. We oversaw creative direction, permitting, sponsorship management, vendor curation, marketing, digital advertising, ticketing, staffing, security, and on-site production. With sponsor support, we flew in artisans from Guadalajara and elevated the guest experience through lowrider showcases, live mural painting, a full carnival, and a curated culinary program featuring both beloved staples and rare regional dishes.
RESULTS
The event drew 50,000+ attendees, hosted 100+ vendors, and solidified its return as one of the Pacific Northwest’s most vibrant and meaningful cultural events. Media coverage surged, community partnerships deepened, and the new brand direction laid the foundation for long-term growth.