WICHITA FALLS (KFDX/KJTL) — All are welcome at this year’s Fiestas Patrias celebrations coming up this September.

Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church is sponsoring two events, a parade and a festival, to celebrate Mexican Independence Day, which falls on Saturday, September 16, 2023.

Event sponsors Belen Caporale and Elsa Rueda encouraged everyone, regardless of faith background and traditions, to attend either of the two events.

The parade will kick off Fiestas Patrias at 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 9, 2023. Admission is free but participants are encouraged to bring cash to purchase from various vendors who will be in attendance.

According to Rueda, the parade will be packed with people to celebrate the festivities. It will be in the downtown area, taking place between Indiana and Scott Avenues.

The festivities will continue the following Saturday, September 16, during the Gran Jamaica, a large festival at Our Lady of Guadalupe from 12 p.m. to midnight.

Fiestas Patrias, or “patriotic” or “national holidays,” celebrate not only Mexican Independence Day but the other Central and South American countries that celebrate their independence in September and October.

Rueda and Caporale said they are eager to celebrate multiple independence days while encouraging Texomans to appreciate Latin cultures further.