Hola amigas! Are you hosting a Cinco de Mayo Party? This Entertaining Guide shares Cinco de Mayo party ideas, including festive decorations, fun games and entertainment, and easy food and beverage tips.
Cinco de Mayo (which means the “fifth of May” in Spanish) is a annual holiday celebrating Mexican heritage and tradition. Cinco de Mayo celebrations generally include a fiesta (which means “party” in Spanish), including traditional Mexican food, margaritas, and festive decor and music.
Cinco de Mayo Party Ideas
Cinco de Mayo Decorations
Balloons
No party is complete without festive, fun-filled colorful balloons. If you want fast, easy, and affordable balloon decorations, use the Yankee Doodle Dandy E-Z Balloon Kit. This miraculous portable (disposable) helium balloon kit is available in 2 convenient sizes, and includes a filled helium tank plus 20 or 50 assorted color, self-sealing, pre-strung latex balloons. With this unique, DIY party decor kit, you can inflate and seal a perfect balloon in just 6 seconds! No wonder it’s known as the ‘fastest, easiest, safest helium balloon kit‘ on the market.
For added visual impact, opt for jumbo latex balloons in a variety of festive colors, like these eye-catching 36″ balloons. They can be inflated with helium or air, and strategically placed throughout the party for bright pops of color.
Flowers
Add some life to your Cinco de Mayo party with fresh flowers. You can either head to a local market and pick-up a couple colorful floral bouquets, and put in your favorite vase with water. Or, as an alternative, have fresh flowers delivered direct to your doorstep. Companies like 1-800-Flowers or FTD offer a wide array of floral bouquet options, so you can choose the size, type, and colors of the flowers you want. And you can even order them from Amazon.
Decor
Also consider displaying fiesta themed decorations (like crafted signs) to add a splash of novelty to your Cinco de Mayo party atmosphere.
Cinco de Mayo Food
Tacos
When most people think of Mexican food, the first thing that comes to mind are Tacos. Available in either hard or soft shells, tacos are traditional Mexican cuisine that are easy to prepare. You can fill the taco shells with grilled chicken, shredded meat, cheese and lettuce, or even prepare vegetarian versions (including just sautéed veggies instead of meat). If you need some help, check out some of the easy-to-follow recipes in a Mexican cookbook.
Chips & Dip
One of the fastest and easiest appetizer options to put together are Chips and Dip. With multi-sectional platters, you can include all your offerings on one serving tray. Everything from salsa and chips to an assortment of crunchy veggies.
Cinco de Mayo Beverages
Margaritas
Frothy, cold margaritas are the perfect (adult) beverage to serve at a Cinco de Mayo party. If you’re not an expert bartender or mixologist, have no fear. There are a number of yummy margarita mixes available on the market that help you quickly and easily whip up a pitcher of tasty margaritas for your party. Make sure to have non-alcoholic versions on hand as well.
Iced Horchata
If you’d prefer an alternative to Margaritas, why not opt for an easy-to-make Iced Horchata? This tasty drink (featuring rice and cinnamon) is a contemporary spin on a classic Mexican summer beverage.
Mexican Beer
If you want to serve something different than the popular Mexican beers (Dos Equis or Cerveza) that everyone knows, there’s always the uniquely refreshing Cabotella.
Cinco de Mayo Entertainment
Costumes
For those of you who really like to get in the spirit of the holiday, why not don a festive fiesta inspired costume? This will surely add some spice to your Cinco de Mayo party!
Piñata
“A piñata is a container often made of papier-mâché, pottery, or cloth; it is decorated, and filled with small toys or candy, or both, and then broken as part of a ceremony or celebration.” [Source: Wikipedia] They come in a variety of playful shapes, ranging from sombreros to donkeys, and can be filled with the candy (or items) of your choice. Hang it from a tree, blindfold your guests, and then let each one take a turn swinging at it (with a bat). The winner who breaks open the piñata can be given a special prize, such as a Cinco de Mayo party pack.
Music
A Cinco de Mayo always needs upbeat, lively music. If you don’t have a Mariachi band on speed-dial, the next best option is to play a CD featuring the sounds of salsa or other traditional Mexican music. And if you like to get in on the action, you can always use a Tambourine & Maracas set, and simply ask your guests to play music (they’ll love being part of the entertainment – especially after having a Margarita!).
