Hats Off to Brownsville
Brownsville loves to throw a good party, and it does so each year with a flurry
of festivals.
One of the largest is the Sombrero Festival, a part of Charro Days, a celebration that has been held since 1938.
“Charro Days is a celebration of the friendship between Brownsville and Matamoros, Mexico,” says David Musso, a member of the Sombrero Festival board of directors. “The Sombrero Festival is a celebration within a celebration. Initially, it was a giant tailgate party, and it’s evolved into a huge two-and-a-half-day event that attracts more than 40,000 people.”
The Sombrero Festival, held the last weekend in February, celebrated its 20th anniversary in 2004.
“It’s just a real fun time for the family, with fun things to do and great food,” Musso says. “The festival is designed to be the best of both worlds – Mexican and American. You’ll find everything from tacos to egg rolls to fried Twinkies.”
There’s also a jalapeno eating contest, tortilla Frisbee toss and the world championship Frijolympics.
“The Frijolympics is a pinto bean cook-off,” Musso says. “About 30 teams compete each year.”
Another highlight of the Sombrero Festival is the music, which ranges from Tejano to Latin jazz and features well-known Hispanic artists.
“We’ve had some major Tejano stars perform over the past 20 years,” Musso says.
Another Brownsville festival is the Shrimp Fiesta, held in conjunction with the annual shrimp harvest.
“It’s a whole lot of seafood, a shrimp-eating contest and a shrimp-peeling contest,” Musso says of the event.
Other celebrations include the International Birding Festival, the Latin Jazz Festival and the Commemorative Air Fiesta. |
