This is a celebration of May fifth, the date a small Mexican army won a battle against larger oppressive foes. Cover tables with brightly colored plastic covers; red, yellow, green, blue. Provide woven place mats made by residents, using brown paper. Centerpieces can be full-color picture of a mariachi placed in a plastic table tent or a Mexican child in a mariachi costume, maracas, and brightly colored bandanas.
Mariachi CDs can often be found in bargain barrels for $1.99 and add much to the gathering. Provide “work sheets” on each table along with pens for their completion. One work sheet could contain a list of common words in Spanish and a second list of the same words in English. Participants must match them correctly. Another sheet lists several common Mexican food items in Spanish and participants are required to mark the items they might want for their snack. Actual menu items may include non-alcoholic sangria, sopapillas with honey, caramel flan (really good), flour tortillas (popular) served with Mexican beans (slow cooker). Emcee would explain Cinco De Mayo, discuss the foods being served, and give the answers to the worksheet questions.
Photo Opportunity:
It is always fun to provide photo opportunities for participants at the various themed parties. Cinco de Mayo will product a picture from south of the boarder that guests enjoy sharing with friends and visitors.
The background for the photo corner is a plastic wall hanging purchased from one of the many catalogs available with party supplies. It is quite inexpensive. The sombrero and the serape came from the second hand store. So, for less than $10 you can create a wonderful photo opportunity for your guests.
The most important thing to remember when taking the photo is proximity. Do NOT attempt to take a full-body photo. Move in close, get a photo from the waist up and even closer, shoulders and head only. You want to see the individual’s eyes and smile, not the color of their shoes!
