Did you know that Cinco de Mayo is an official holiday in the United States — but it’s actually not an official national holiday in Mexico?
While it’s celebrated in some Mexican states, it’s much more popular in the US!
For event organizers and business owners, the popularity of Cinco de Mayo means that May 5 is a big opportunity to draw a crowd.
At Eventbrite, we’ve assisted thousands of event organizers in creating events worldwide — and we’d like to share our best tips on how to make your event a success. This guide will give you some background on this Mexican tradition and include unique Cinco de Mayo party ideas to help get the party started!
The significance of Cinco de Mayo — and how to celebrate respectfully
Cinco de Mayo is a holiday commemorating the Battle of Puebla and Mexico’s victory over the French army on May 5, 1862. It was an important day in Mexican history — but contrary to popular opinion, Cinco de Mayo doesn’t represent Mexican Independence Day. On September 16, a separate holiday commemorates Mexican Independence from Spanish rule.
Why is the holiday so popular in the US? Well, with more than 37.4 million Hispanics of Mexican origin living in the US and the strong historical ties between the two countries, Mexican culture is highly embedded into American culture. Plus, Mexican food is among the most popular cuisines in America, and everyone loves a good excuse to eat some tacos or enjoy some margaritas!
But with all the “tacos and margaritas” talk comes an important reminder: For respectful celebrations, it’s important to recognize and integrate diverse components of Mexican culture into your Cinco de Mayo party ideas and stay as close to the Mexican culture as possible, including recipes, outfits, and accessories.
A respectful celebration could also mean educating your guests on the true meaning of Cinco de Mayo or hosting authentic Mexican performing artists to entertain your attendees. Or it could be as simple as serving some lesser-known (in the US) foods, like pozole or molletes.
You should definitely make your event accessible to Spanish speakers by translating your event website and event listing into Spanish. After all, the US is predicted to become the second-largest Spanish-speaking country in the world by 2060.
Whatever your approach, the Cinco de Mayo event ideas below can help you craft a fun, respectful, and popular event that will be a blast.
Cinco de Mayo event ideas to attract a crowd
Looking for a Cinco de Mayo party idea for a large event? If you’re a professional event organizer, these event ideas can scale up to accommodate large crowds — and produce plenty of ticket sale revenue for your business!
1. Host a Mexican cuisine cook-off
Effort: 🏋️ 🏋️
Cost: 💰
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The popularity of Mexican food is unrivaled in many US states. Capitalize on our love for this tasty cuisine with a Mexican food cook-off!
This event could occur at a local park, an event venue, or a restaurant. You could use food truck catering or invite local restaurant owners and chefs to compete.
Doing it well: Surf Boba Scholarship Fund hosted the Tamale Fest Cook-Off, where attendees received five tickets from various vendors to vote on their favorite Tamal. Adding a competition or voting mechanism to your event can improve audience engagement at your event.
2. Plan a Cinco de Mayo festival
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Why not go all out with a Cinco de Mayo festival? The festival format allows you to incorporate many of the Cinco de Mayo party ideas in this post. Remember to include ideas for both adults and children and turn the festival into one epic event featuring food, music, fun games, cultural performances, and more.
Doing it well: Juntoz NFP hosted a sold-out Cinco de Mayo festival at a local park. The event featured horse riding, a Loteria, colorful decorations, live music, and delicious food.
Grow attendance at your next event using Eventbrite without the fuss. Our platform can help you plan, create, and manage a festival with customizable event pages, event creation and ticketing tools, and more.
Plan and execute festivals with ease
3. Sell tickets to a Mexican theme bar crawl
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A bar crawl is a unique Cinco de Mayo party idea with minimal (or no) venue cost. If you host a bar crawl, make sure to contact each bar ahead of time to work out a deal — you may get a percentage of drink sales, for instance.
Doing it well: Pub Pioneers hosted their Cinco de Mayo Pub Crawl in Seattle, Washington. Attendees received a wristband for exclusive drink deals, plus a 3D digital map of all the planned stops on the pub crawl.
4. Organize a Mexican food truck festival
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Fun factor: 🥳 🥳
Food truck festivals are a fantastic way to attract a crowd and can be less costly than self-catering an event. Secure at least 5–10 food trucks to really make it a party — and encourage vendors to offer small plates so attendees can sample a wider variety.
You can include several tasters in the ticket price or have a set price for each taster plate to make the event accessible.
Doing it well: Brew Avenue Events hosted the Naperville Food Truck Festival complete with a Cinco de Mayo beer garden. The event boasted over 25 of the best food trucks in the Chicagoland area and included entertainment, such as face painters and a kids’ tattoo artist.
5. Host a Mexican craft beer party
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When most people think of Mexican beer, they think of Corona and Modelo. But did you know that Mexico also has a thriving craft beer scene? By sourcing authentic Mexican craft beers (or welcoming guest brewers directly) for Cinco de Mayo event ideas, you can attract the beer-loving crowd and serve something unique.
Cinco de Mayo work event ideas
Looking for Cinco de Mayo office party ideas? These booze-free Cinco de Mayo work event ideas are appropriate for the workplace and sure to be a ton of fun.
6. Lucha Libre wrestling show
Effort: 🏋️ 🏋️🏋️
Cost: 💰💰💰
Fun factor: 🥳🥳🥳
Lucha Libre is professional Mexican wrestling — similar to WWE in the US. Hiring professional Lucha Libre wrestlers is sure to excite a crowd at your next event.
Register to websites that advertise professional wrestlers for hire, and prioritize health and safety at the event: Provide adequate lighting for the wrestlers, choose a venue with high ceilings to prevent any danger when an athlete is thrown, hire wrestling mats, etc.
7. Live Mariachi music concert
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Mariachi is a traditional Mexican folk music genre. Musicians typically play Ranchera music and dress in traditional garb. Hiring a local Mariachi band can spice up any event for Cinco de Mayo!
If you need extra support planning this event, Eventbrite can help you reach a wider audience and sell more tickets.
Doing it well: The City of Las Vegas hosted a Tamales and Mariachi Festival, combining two popular aspects of Mexican culture into one exciting event.
8. Mexican Folk Art display
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Fun factor: 🥳
Mexican folk art or artesanía is often beautifully colorful, drawing on Spanish and native Mexican influences. Sourcing a collection of Mexican folk art can be a unique way to celebrate authentic Mexican culture. You could also invite artists to sell their art directly to attendees for epic Cinco de Mayo work event ideas.
Cinco de Mayo party ideas to spice up your gathering
Regardless of the type of event you’re hosting, these creative ideas and party themes can help spice up your Cinco de Mayo party.
9. Use vibrant colors in your decor
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Incorporate vibrant Mexican fiesta party decorations and bright colors into your event theme. If you feel like getting crafty, you could create your own Mexican party decorations like tissue paper pom-poms or even host a craft station with party supplies for attendees to make their own.
10. Include a mezcal tasting
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We’ve all had tequila and margaritas — but how about mezcal? Mezcal is technically a broad category of spirits distilled from agave, and tequila falls under the mezcal category.
To turn up the heat at fiesta parties, source a variety of small-batch mezcals and serve guests tasting flights. You can even print out tasting notes from the manufacturers to help attendees note the distinctions between each batch. Or include mini bottles of tasters for guests to take home!
11. Offer a margarita bar
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Margaritas are a popular cocktail and, thankfully, one that’s relatively easy to prep in large batches! Partner with a local bartender or catering company to serve customizable margaritas for Cinco de Mayo party ideas any crowd will love. Start with a base blend, then allow guests to spice up their drinks with additions like jalapeño peppers or grapefruit.
12. Make unique Piñatas
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Piñatas are fun for kids and adults. To get creative, think past the classic donkey piñata to make something unique, like a cactus or an avocado! Make sure to use a bright burst of color to match the theme of traditional decorations. And leave plenty of space around so your attendees can go all out in it!
13. Serve creative cocktails and mocktails
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To spice things up, think beyond the standard cocktails. Michelada, palomas, and cantaritos are a few to try at your next event. And don’t forget mocktail options! Low- and no-alcohol events grew globally by 73% on the Eventbrite platform between January and September 2023 — indicating a very strong demand for alcohol alternatives.
14. Enjoy Mexican desserts
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Dessert might not be the first thing that comes to mind when you think about Mexican food — but guests will love treats like churros, plátanos fritos, and tres leches cake. If you’re looking for unique event catering ideas, consider partnering with a local Mexican bakery or dessert shop for relatively low-cost and delicious refreshments!
15. Host a fresh salsa bar
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Freshly made salsa is a game-changer. Partner with a local Mexican restaurant to host a fresh salsa bar complete with half a dozen or more tasty salsas, guacamole, and, of course, a big bowl of homemade tortilla chips! Serve guests with fun cactus plates and napkins or bright plates to fit your event’s color scheme.
16. Bake fresh pan dulce
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Pan dulce is a delicious and surprisingly simple Mexican sweet bread/pastry. The treat is relatively inexpensive to make or purchase, and many Mexican-owned bakeries and grocery stores stock it. Since the treat is best served fresh, why not have guests prepare some dough at the start of your event and let it bake during the event activities so it can be served at the end?
17. Have fun with a themed photo booth
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Photo booths are a popular addition to any event. Stock your booth with colorful decor and plenty of Mexican-themed props for a guaranteed good time.
18. Offer a DIY taco bar
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Taco party! Tacos are among the most-loved Mexican foods and are an excellent choice for Cinco de Mayo office party ideas. Partner with a local Mexican restaurant or food truck to prepare a taco bar where guests can build their tacos. Make sure to have a veggie-friendly filling option, like tempeh or black beans, and plenty of toppings, like fresh cilantro and lime.
Host a Cinco de Mayo event to remember
The perfect Cinco de Mayo event should blend fun, creativity, and authentic Mexican culture for a memorable experience. Use these Cinco de Mayo party ideas to spice up your next event — and attract bigger crowds.
Once you’ve planned the perfect Cinco de Mayo party, it’s time to promote your event! Eventbrite is the leading online events platform with tools for event planning, promotion, ticket sales, and more. Join today to elevate your events business.
