SAN FRANCISCO -- There was a party outside SBC Park on Monday evening and it had nothing to with the return of Barry Bonds.

Lefty O'Doul Plaza played host to the first ever Fiesta Gigante, an event intended to celebrate the rich Hispanic heritage of the Giants franchise and the city of San Francisco.

Judging from the bobbing hips and happy faces that accompanied the fast-paced Latin music and authentic cuisine, both of which could be heard and smelled at the other side of the ballpark, the event was a hit.

The highlight was when shortstop Omar Vizquel took to the stage to say a few words to the gathered audience. The Venezuelan native could not be coaxed to sing along with the live band, claiming that it was too close to game time, but he was persuaded to dance with a partner to the music for a minute or two.

The crowd responded to the scene with warm applause.

"We have a franchise here that is full of tradition in the Latin and Hispanic community," said Giants executive vice president and chief operating officer Larry Baer after Vizquel's appearance. "Probably no franchise in baseball has more [Latin] tradition than the Giants, and now it comes full circle with our manager, Felipe [Alou], and with all the players. Just seeing Omar dancing on the stage an hour before the game is wonderful."

Lining each side of the concourse were tents housing various kinds of promotions and activities. One of the most popular was the Cumbia 1170 AM booth, due to its spinning wheel that awarded the participant with different kinds of Giants merchandise like towels, bobbleheads and posters. There were also tickets to Monday's game being sold there.

Along with the radio station, KTNC 42-TV, Azteca and El Mensajero partnered with the Giants to organize Fiesta Gigante.

Other booths were occupied by the Latino Community Foundation and the Hispanic Heritage Baseball Museum. Another held authentic Hispanic art and the one next to that had stations for balloons, caricatures and face painting by Buki the Clown. At still another booth, former Giants player Tito Fuentes was busy signing autographs.

Native food was in abundance as well. One tent was selling tacos, huaraches and tamales while another featured pupusas, an El Salvadoran dish similar to a quesadilla.

Everywhere there was evidence of Hispanic influence on the Giants. The music stage where Vizquel spoke was replaced by Hall of Famer and Puerto Rican Orlando Cepeda, who was set to overlook the recently erected statue of pitching great Juan Marichal -- born in the Dominican Republic and who pitched 14 seasons for the Giants.

The party didn't end at the gates. Tambores de Colombia, a band that performed outside, performed behind home plate before the game. The Giants team got into the act, too, by wearing jerseys that replace the word "Giants" across the chest with the name "Gigantes."

"This is the first of many years of a strong commitment to creating events for all members of the Hispanic community," Baer said. "What we've found is that actually bringing the community to the ballpark brings a lot of joy and pride within the Hispanic community."

Fiesta Gigante -- sponsored in part by Bank of America, McDonald's and Cingular -- also coincided with the official launching of sfgigantes.com, the first MLB Spanish site to have a homepage design that mimics its English counterpart, sfgiants.com.

After the game, Giants manager Alou, catcher Mike Matheny and third baseman Edgardo Alfonzo were scheduled to take part in a Latin Fellowship discussion, making the entire day truly dedicated to the Giants' Hispanic heritage.