Here are 5 great Cinco de Mayo activities that you can do to celebrate this Mexican-American Holiday.

Who says you can’t make this the best 5 de Mayo yet?! You just need to know a little history.

On May 5th, 1862, the French started making their way through Mexico with the intention of taking the city. These troops were stopped by a tiny town by the name of Puebla. Puebla was considerably outnumbered but they still managed to pull through. 

Many people think that Cinco de Mayo is Mexico’s Independence Day but it’s actually the day in which this brave town is honored. This is a rather small holiday in Mexico but every year thousands of people in the US throw huge celebrations.   

To help you throw your giant celebration with your family and friends, here are a few awesome Cinco de Mayo activities for kids and adults alike.

1. Fun Facts 

Before you start celebrating the holiday with your children it’s important that you share with them the meaning of it all. You can head to your library and pick up a few fun fact books. 

The library should also have a few maps and globes. You can have your child point to Mexico on them. If you look hard enough on online stores you may even be able to pick up your child a few Cinco de Mayo activity books. 

2. Sombrero Cookies

So sombreros may seem a little stereotypical but making cookies is a fun family filled activity that works for any holiday. All you need is gumdrops, frosting, a plastic bag with a corner cut off to apply said frosting, sprinkles, sugar cookies, and any other cookie topping that you can possibly think of. 

Go ahead and make the cookies before you set your kids loose on them. Any sugar cookie batter will do and you can pick up sombrero cookie cutters online for only a couple bucks. Once the cookies are cooled, it’s time to have fun. 

Place the frosting in the plastic bag with the corner cut out of it. Have the child squeeze a drop of frosting in the center of the sombrero and top it off with a gumdrop.

They can also decorate the brim of the hat with as much frosting as they want and of course, no cookie is complete without sprinkles.  

3. Lotería

Lotería or lottery works a little bit like bingo. It’s simple and fun for everyone from the kids to the adults. At the beginning of the game, an announcer is chosen to flip over cards from a 54-card deck. 

Each card has a picture on it and if a player has the image on their answer card they will cover it with a dried bean. The first person who meets the winning conditions of the game must shout Lotería to finish up the game.

These winning conditions are to be the first player who has a:

• Diagonal line 
• Horizontal line
• 4 Corners
• 4 Inside 
• Full board
• 4 Inside and 4 corners

The announcer decides these winning conditions before they begin each round of the game. If you want to up the stakes a little bit you can have the players pay in to play with a couple of cents. 

The amount doesn’t need to be anything too major. You’re playing Lotería here, not poker. 

4. Fun with Chilli Peppers 

The past few Cinco de Mayo activities that we’ve gone over have been a little bit more for the kids and less for the adults. Here are a few fun games that you can play with chili peppers that the adults at your celebration will love.  

How Many

If you have a few clear jars then you can pick up a bunch of chili peppers and play how many. When you’re preparing the jars make sure you keep a count of how many are in it, and the heat level of each one. 

Have your guests guess how many are in the jar and the person who gets closest to the mark will win a prize. 

How Hot 

The reason why you want to keep tabs on how hot all the peppers are is that the how many game sort of bleeds into this next game. First, you want to have the guests guess how hot each of the peppers are. After that, have a few brave volunteers stand up and eat one out of each jar. 

This game is tons of fun for the risk takers in your group. Just make sure you have plenty of cold beverages to go around. 

5. Taco Bar 

Tacos are big in both Mexican and US culture so you can’t go wrong with setting up a taco bar at your party. Set out a wide variety of meat, cheeses, and veggies so every guest will have the opportunity to load down their tacos with all the toppings that they love. 

You don’t have to go traditional with the toppings either. Get creative to give your guests the opportunity to branch out with flavors if they want. 

6. Mexican Dance

No party is complete without dancing. If you have some guests that aren’t familiar with traditional Mexican dances then you have the opportunity to provide them with a really fun treat. 

Depending on how much money you have, you can hire a dance instructor to come in and teach everyone different dance styles. Some may mess up and mess up horribly but that’s half the enjoyment. 

Celebrate History and Culture with These Cinco de Mayo Activities 

Cinco de Mayo is a huge holiday that is celebrated in a variety of parts in the US. While you may not be able to attend any of the huge festivals you can celebrate right at home. Try some of these Cinco de Mayo activities to make your party a roaring success.

Setting up a large Cinco de Mayo party can be fun but stressful. Let us take some of the stress off by providing the food. Go here to get an estimate on our catering services!