Our Favorite Cinco de Mayo Party Ideas

Cinco de Mayo celebrates the Mexican triumph over the French in the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. In America, this holiday has become a way to celebrate Mexican culture and heritage. We drink Mexican beers and margaritas, feast on popular Mexican dishes, and dance the salsa! Here’s our ultimate list of Cinco de Mayo party ideas to make this year’s one to remember.

Festive Party Decor 

Papel Picado

First things first! You’ve got to set the scene with some festive Cinco de Mayo party decoration ideas. In America, we regularly turn to streamers and banners to help decorate our walls. In Mexico, it’s common to cut tissue paper in a fashion much like we do to make paper snowflakes. This colorful tissue paper art called papel picado is strung together and hung over tables and on walls. This simple idea would be a fun craft to do with kids, or if you’re short on time browse Ultimate Party’s Cinco de Mayo party decor for ready-made papel picado banners.

Piñatas

In Mexico, piñatas are often filled with local fruit like guavas, oranges, and jicamas, as well as pieces of candy and sugar cane. Sometimes ‘trap piñatas’ are filled with flour, water, or confetti. In the States, we tend to stick to wrapped candy and small toys for children’s parties or small bottles of liquor for adult parties. Some piñatas come in the shape of a seven-pointed star. Breaking it represents the triumph over the seven deadly sins. If you’re looking for fun Cinco de Mayo party decoration ideas, grab a piñata shaped like a llama, donkey, avocado, or a cute taco!

Paper Flowers

Flowers made from tissue paper are a common decoration used in Mexico to decorate homes. But why do they use paper flowers instead of real flowers? It’s thought that people first started making tissue paper flowers to decorate churches during the winter when flowers were less available. Once the process of making tissue paper was perfected and the cost of the paper went down, it was more economical to decorate your home with paper flowers instead of real flowers. Bright and colorful paper flowers are perfectly affordable Cinco de Mayo party decoration ideas! They are shipped to you flat and need just a little fluffing to make them come to life.

Mylar Balloons

Another affordable Cinco de Mayo party decoration idea is to use mylar balloons. Mylar balloons can be made into tons of shapes like numbers or letters. The Ultimate Party Super Store carries a massive stock of balloons online that are perfect for tons of different occasions, but for Cinco de Mayo, we suggest fun shapes like sombreros, tacos, cacti, maracas, llamas, or even giant chili peppers!

Cinco de Mayo Food Favorites

Mole Poblano

Mole poblano is considered the official dish of Cinco de Mayo. The multi-layered mole sauce was supposedly invented by nuns in a convent in Puebla who were preparing it as food for a visiting Spanish dignitary. By the time the Battle of Puebla commenced on May 5, 1862, it was already a favorite dish of the region. So, it made sense to celebrate their victory with the popular mole poblano. You may also want to pair your mole poblano meal with a shot of pasita, a raisin-flavored liqueur that many people say is a drink unique to the Puebla region. 

Taco Bar

Mole sauce is a complex sauce that can be intimidating for beginners to make, though you can buy it pre-made in many grocery stores. If you want to keep your Cinco de Mayo party food ideas simple, consider a make-your-own taco bar! Prep your toppings ahead of time in small Tupperware dishes and simply arrange them together with serving utensils when guests arrive. Use a crockpot on the warm setting to keep seasoned taco meats nice and hot.

Mexican Street Corn

This side dish is a Mexican favorite that is often eaten as a popular street food and late-night snack. Simply slather cooked ears of corn with sour cream, mayo, and cotija cheese! Optionally, you could add in extra flavors of garlic, lime juice, cilantro, and chili powder. Try a less messy version by taking the corn off the cob and mixing all the ingredients together.

Horchata

When we think of adult Mexican drinks, we imagine margaritas, corona beer, and salty tequila shots with lime wedges. Horchata is a traditional Mexican drink made with milk, cinnamon, and vanilla flavors. Serve the virgin version to kids, or add a shot of rum for an adult kick.

Cinco de Mayo Activities

In the state of Puebla, Cinco de Mayo is celebrated with parades, dancing, fireworks, colorful costumes, and reenactments of the Battle of Puebla. While most of these activities can’t be brought to your party, you can definitely turn up the mariachi music and get dancing! Other fun ideas for Cinco de Mayo party activities include:

• A hot sauce or hot pepper competition
• A scavenger hunt with items like small bags of nacho chips, mini Mexican flags, and mini sombreros
• Smash the piñata (best played after a few drinks!)
• Play Mexican kickball by relay racing to kick your ball through an obstacle course the fastest

Prepare your Cinco de Mayo party ideas early by ordering fun and unique Cinco de Mayo party supplies online with the Ultimate Party Super Store. Get free shipping on orders over $59 or pick up your items at our Hendersonville location.