Mexico

Throwing the Best Cinco de Mayo Parties

Instead of heading to the bar, why not plan your own Cinco de Mayo blowout? It is a great excuse to indulge in delicious Mexican food, dress in colorful clothing and enjoy your favorite Mexican beverages. By planning your own party, you are in total control of the menu, the decorations, the entertainment, and the guest list.

Take extra care with your menu. If you cannot or do not want to do all the cooking, ask your guests to bring dishes for a potluck meal. They all have to be Mexican recipes, though! If you have the cash, you could also have the event catered. Go for some tried and true recipes and some that are exotic. Plan on dishes like tacos, tamales, quesadillas, and refried beans. Make it really simple and set up a salsa or taco bar. Remember to provide enough to drink for everyone. If you are supplying alcohol, take a look at the Mexican beers your local shops have to offer. Margaritas are also a great choice. Do not forget to provide a non-alcoholic beverage for those who wish to remain clear-headed. You can stick with the Mexican theme by providing agua fresco or horchata, which are suitable for guests of all ages.

Set the right mood with your decorations. Hit your local market or party store just down the block. You can get banners, brightly colored cups, and plates. Hang strings of dried chilies or Latin-themed lights all over. Find some maracas or sombreros for your guests to enjoy. Big beautiful flowers made from tissue paper are a very authentic Mexican touch. A final touch would be hanging tissue streamers of red, green, and white in honor of the Mexican flag.

Write up your guest list. How many can you accommodate in your home? Design your invitations with the colors of the Mexican flag and send them out early enough so your friends can plan on attending. Request that they RSVP so you know how many guests you can expect at the big event.

Festive salsa and other types of Mexican music add to the atmosphere of the party. If you have the money, a live mariachi band can make any partygoer want to dance. Stop in to your local Mexican market and check out the CDs, you should be able to find enough there to keep your guests entertained.

If your party is going to be child-friendly, you will need to have some fun party games for all to play. There has stick the tail on the burro, just make sure everyone is safe while blindfolded. Everybody loves piatas or you can form a scavenger hunt. The main thing is to just have fun.

Hosting Cinco de Mayo parties can be fun and rewarding for all. You might even make it an annual occurrence. The key to a great party is planning and delegation; you will not have disappointment when you plan for success.

After your party is over, you will be able to assess its level of success. Did everyone have a great time? Did you? The true mark of a successful party is when you can look back on it with satisfaction at all the great memories you made.

If you would like to know more about Mexican food or learn how to making authentic Mexican recipes, you will find lots of interesting facts, information and recipes at MexicanFoodRecipes.org as well as plenty of articles about Mexican food culture and the wonderful spices which give this cuisine its unique flavor along with interesting information like the history of enchiladas.

© 2010 Travel Oversea.