BILLINGS — For 72 years, the Mexican Fiesta has brought Billings' South Side to life, and this year was no different, drawing over 10,000 people to South Park for traditional food, music, dancing, over 100 vendors, and one of the city's largest car shows.
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The fiesta is Billings' longest-running cultural celebration, with roots stretching back to a fundraiser for Our Lady of Guadalupe Church and a way for working Hispanic migrant families to share their culture with the broader community.
"This is the longest-running community event in Billings and possibly Montana," said Cecelia Gavinsky, Collections Manager at the Western Heritage Center, who was present with the museum's booth. "It's very nostalgic, and to see how much it's grown and the positivity here, everyone's included."
Gavinsky said the event's location carries deep historical significance.
"The South Side of town has always been kind of where the laborers have worked, so the Hispanic community has deep roots in this part of town," she said. "It's perfect that the fiesta is celebrated at South Park in connection with the Colonia that used to be over by the Sugar Beet Factory and Little Flower Church."
Related: ¡Viva La Fiesta!: Museum exhibit celebrates 70 years of Hispanic heritage in Billings
For dancer Zachary Contreraz, the celebration is also a family tradition.
Contreraz, the ninth of 10 siblings, performs with Los Guadalupanos, the local folklórico dance group founded by his grandparents more than seven decades ago. Today, many of the dancers are still members of the Contreraz family.
"Since I can remember walking, I was thrown into it, and I've just loved it ever since," Contreraz said.
Related: Colorful steps carry cultural pride across generations for Los Guadalupaños
His grandparents helped establish both the dance group and the Fiesta, a legacy passed from one generation to the next.
"My grandparents started it 72 years ago," Contreraz said. "Now it's just being passed down to us younger generation. Now, we're just kind of taking on that role of what they left behind for us."
Today, the Fiesta is organized by his cousins, Dallas and Tony Contreraz, who Zachary credits with helping the event continue to grow.
"Since my cousins, Dallas and Tony, started taking the reins of operating the fiesta, they've done a fantastic job," said Contreraz.
Related: Billings hosts 70 years of Mexican Fiesta celebration honoring South Side history
The fiesta's car show drew longtime participants as well. Steve Swan, with Pharoah's Car Club, which started their chapter earlier this year, said the event reflects something larger than a single community.
"It's a great way for the community to get together," Swan said. "It shows solidarity with everybody, you know, with what's going on today in our country. I think to a lot of the people here, it just don't matter."
Swan said he has been attending the fiesta for about 30 years.
"It's fun to see how things have changed over the years, but the culture is still the same as far as a lot of the music and the dancing and everything that's going on," he said.
For Claudia Stephens, who has lived in Billings since 1968, the fiesta carries deeply personal meaning. She attended this year dressed in a traditional dress her late mother gave her, after losing her mother in January.
"I lost my mother in January, and she bought me this dress years ago, and so I have to wear it at least once a year," Stephens said. "I love the attention I get with it."
Having watched the fiesta grow over nearly six decades, Stephens said she hopes it continues to preserve Hispanic culture while bringing the broader community together.
"It's wonderful to see how many people come out, and we're all sharing things that we love in common," she said. "I'm glad that it is very much a stamp for the Hispanic community, and I'm so glad that we can all share that ... Thank God for the young people that are carrying that on."
Seventy-two years after it began, the Mexican Fiesta continues to celebrate the generations who built it while introducing new ones to the traditions that have made it a Billings institution.
"It's really cool seeing other cultures come and celebrate us as well," said Contreraz. "It's awesome to be able to show other people what we're about in our dances and just everything that goes along with it."
Related: Across generations, Fiesta Dance carries the beat of tradition and celebration in Billings
