Pan Am Fiesta

The Pan Am Fiesta is Lakewood’s long-running celebration of food, music, culture, crafts and community traditions from across the Americas.

The family-friendly festival is held each May at Mayfair Park and typically features live entertainment, carnival rides and games, food booths, food trucks, arts and crafts vendors and cultural activities for children.

Fiesta highlights

• Free live concerts on Friday and Saturday nights
• Community-group food booths and food trucks
• Carnival rides, games and concessions
• Arts and crafts vendors
• A Children’s Cultural Booth with hands-on activities
• A flag presentation ceremony featuring the United States and countries of the Americas
• Pan American Association Ambassadors
• Poster and poetry contest winners

Pan Am Fiesta history

The Fiesta is Lakewood’s longest-running community event, dating back to the mid-1940s. It began as a handshake between two friends and fellow Lakewood Lions Club members: Dr. Walter Montano, former Bolivian Consul to Los Angeles, and Jesse Solter, a local schoolteacher.

Their goal was to foster friendship and goodwill with Lakewood’s Latin American neighbors, a tradition that continues today.

Read the full story about the origin of the Pan Am Fiesta.