Photo story: 78th Ybor Fiesta Day

With unbridled enthusiasm, five-year-old Jasmine Jacobs continuously broke free of her mom Alyse’s grip at the Ybor City Chamber of Commerce’s 78th annual Fiesta Day celebration.

After all, there was so much to see and so much to do.

There were rescue puppies to pet, Italian sausage, cannoli, churros, and paella to taste, and flamenco dancers to watch.

“We’re visiting family and for the second year in a row, we timed our vacation again with Fiesta Day,” says Alyse, a Chicago resident. “We like to expose Jasmine to as many cultural events as possible.”

First held in the late 1800s as a “verbena” or day of rest for cigar workers, Fiesta Day celebrates the rich, ethnic diversity of Ybor City.

Established primarily as an immigrant district, Ybor City’s early residents were Cuban, German, Italian, Jewish, and Spanish, with a smaller population of African Americans.

Most Ybor City immigrants were employed by the multitude of cigar factories, which eventually earned Ybor City the title of “Cigar Capital of the World.”

Held among five city blocks along “La Septima” (Seventh Avenue), Fiesta highlights cultural arts, dancers, food, and crafts. The  Hillsborough High School drum band leads the “Promenade of Flags,” which represents each founding ethnicity.

“The 78th Fiesta Day brought the largest Fiesta Day crowd to Ybor City in years and the support from the Tampa Bay community exceeded our expectations,” Ybor City Chamber Member & Event Manager George Weisner says“Seventh Ave was filled with locals and tourists, dancing in the streets, patronizing Ybor City’s local businesses and exploring the ample vendors Fiesta Day had to offer”

“We look forward to continuing Ybor City’s cherished tradition of honoring the vibrant tapestry of cultures that make it the special place that it is,” Weisner continues.

J.C. Newman Cigar Co., founded in 1895 and the country’s oldest family-owned premium cigar maker, is the presenting sponsor for Fiesta Day.

For more information, go to Ybor City Chamber and  J.C. Newman