Two Big Cinco de Mayo Events Planned

San Jose will host two major Cinco de Mayo events on Sunday, May 3: an East Side parade-and-festival and a separate downtown festival at Plaza de César Chávez. (mercurynews.com) (sanjose.org) (sjcincodemayo.com) The East Side celebration is the 3rd Annual San Jose Cinco de Mayo Cultural Parade & Festival. The parade is scheduled for 10 a.m. to noon on King Road from Alum Rock Avenue to the Interstate 680 underpass, followed by a festival from noon to 5 p.m. at Emma Prusch Farm Park, 647 S. King Road. (sanjose.org) Visit San Jose says the Emma Prusch event will feature live performances, traditional dances and lowriders. The listing places the festival at Emma Prusch Park and King & Story in East San Jose. (sanjose.org) Downtown, the Third Annual Downtown Cinco De Mayo Festival is scheduled for 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. on May 3 at César Chávez Plaza. Organizers say the event will include entertainment on the main stage and local vendors. (sjcincodemayo.com) A key change for 2026 is that the downtown event will not include a parade. Organizers posted, “No Parade in Downtown 2026,” saying they made that decision because the larger festival venue required more resources. (sjcincodemayo.com) That leaves the King Road procession as the only announced Cinco de Mayo parade in San Jose this year. The downtown celebration remains a festival-only event centered on Plaza de César Chávez. (sanjose.org) (sjcincodemayo.com)