Party Planning for Cinco de Mayo: Have A Fiesta!

May is here and Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner. Be prepared to celebrate Mexican culture and heritage and enjoy all the festivities that come along with it. A Mexican-themed fiesta is a great way to gather friends and family for a fun time.

Whether you’re Mexican, have Mexican friends or are just looking for a reason to party, celebrating the Mexican militia’s victory over the French puebla army on May 5, 1862 is a great reason to do so.

If you’re going to host a more formal party, draft an invite list and send out Cinco de Mayo or fiesta themed invitations. You can even save time and money by sending invites through email at sites like Evite.com or by creating an event page on Facebook to invite friends and family to RSVP.

As decorations for your party be sure to stay in the Mexican mood. Think red, green and white for your colors and use Mexican culture images and symbols throughout. Chili peppers, cacti, sombreros, ponchos, serapes, maracas and plenty of bright colors and lights should do the trick in setting the scene properly. Plant a Mexican flag to mark where the fiesta is and have little flags decorated all over.

Food and refreshments at a Cinco de Mayo party are easy and stress free. Unless you are looking for authentic Mexican recipes, a fajita, taco or burrito bar with all the fixings should be plenty. You can prepare your own bar or hire a catering service to take care of this. Finger foods like nachos, corn chips with salsa and guacamole dip and quesadillas are perfect appetizers. For dessert it would be easiest to go with churros and flan.

Refreshments should be served ice cold to beat the heat and keep the party alive. Quench your guests’ thirst with plenty of Mexican beer on ice. Dos Equis (XX) and Corona are crowd favorites, but there are plenty to choose from for variety. Margaritas always add to the fiesta mood and are easy to change up with any fruit flavor you choose. Also, don’t forget the Mexican sodas or other soft drinks for the non-drinkers.

There is no shortage of entertainment at a Cinco de Mayo fiesta, but to have some activities in order first consider a giant piñata. Fill it with candies and little toys and offer a main prize for whoever manages to break it. Play the game with whatever twist you’d like to add to it – drawstrings, blindfolds, dizzying effects – just make sure no one gets hurt. You may also have inflatable games as amusements for the little kids. There are plenty of inflatable game designs that may fit a Cinco de Mayo theme.

Hiring a Mariachi band is a great way to make sure your party never dies down. Live music is always fun, but you can even simply play a CD full of Mexican music for your guests to dance to. Latin dancing always spices up the party. You may even ask your guests to come dressed in Mexican attire or as a famous Mexican.

As you can see, there is no shortage of ways to prepare for and enjoy a Cinco de Mayo fiesta. Plan your celebration accordingly or add your own twist. Whatever you do, just make sure to have a fun time.