Cinco de Mayo Party Planning

Cinco de Mayo party planning is almost as fun as the actual party! There is a great deal of thought and details that go into throwing a successful fiesta. You could host a themed party, involve your guests in a potluck, or dress up in costumes! Here are some fun and unique Cinco de Mayo party ideas for your event:

• Taco Bar: This is a terrific theme for a Cinco de Mayo party because let’s face it, not everyone likes the same foods and toppings. Invite your guests to a “Make Your Own Taco Bar” so that you satisfy even the pickiest eaters! Set up a buffet table with different taco fillings like chicken, beef, ground turkey, shrimp, and fish. For tortillas, put out corn, flour, hard, and soft types of tortillas. You can also set up another station for taco toppings. Lettuce, tomatoes, grilled and raw onions, peppers, cheese, guacamole, beans, olives, sour cream, cilantro, pico de gallo, and salsa all make great taco toppings. Another Cinco de Mayo party idea is to make this party at potluck so that guests can bring different ingredients and toppings!

• Costume Party: A Cinco de Mayo costume fiesta is another fun idea for your big event. Encourage your guests to dress in traditional Mexican clothing like sombreros, jeans, boots, and zarape (shawls). Red, green, and white are also festive colors for a Cinco de Mayo party. Have plenty of accessories at your party for guests to use like miniature guitars and maracas. Set the scene for your party with cactus, chili peppers, and Mexican flags. With all of the costumes and decorations, your guests will feel like they are at a real Mexican Cinco de Mayo celebration!

• Margarita Madness: A margarita party is another exciting Cinco de Mayo theme party idea! There are so many unique flavors for margaritas these days so this is a great way for you and your guests to try different ones. Before the party, decide on a few different margaritas you want to serve at your party. If you want to serve frozen margaritas, buy or rent margarita machines for your party. You can also just stick to serving the margaritas in large pitchers or punchbowls. Set up a few different buffet tables for the different drinks. Be sure to clearly label each of the pitchers or margarita machines so that guests know what they are drinking! You should also plan to serve a non-alcoholic drink or bottles of water for the designated drivers.

• Dance Fiesta: Traditional Mexican music and dance is a large part of the Cinco de Mayo celebration. Invite your guests to listen to Mexican music or you could even hire a mariachi band for the event! Teach your guests ballet folkloico, a traditional Mexican dance to mariachi music. Have plenty of maracas or other instruments lying around for guests to get into the music and have fun!