Mexican Fiesta Party Ideas (& the Best Authentic Guacamole Recipe) (2024)

I will always remember my college graduation day. Not because it marked years of hard work, accomplishment, or the beginning of a new chapter, but because it was Cinco de Mayo. Following commencement, I had both Virginia friends and friends who had driven up from Georgia (on a whim as a surprise) come together for a big Cinco de Mayo graduation fiesta. It was actually dubbed “Cinco de Kelley” – and yes, I know the translation makes zero sense haha. It was one of my most favorite days, with my favorite people, with my favorite food… since then, each Cinco de Mayo, we always reminisce on that sweet, festive celebration my mom pulled together on my behalf. Fast forward several years later… with my love of everything Mexican combined with Dave’s hometown of San Antonio, if holidays were spirit animals, Cinco de Mayo would be ours. This year, I wanted to pull together a celebration that combined elements from that favorite day in May from my twenties with all the sights and sounds we experienced at Fiesta last year (you can see that full post HERE). As a bonus, along with all the Cinco de Mayo dinner party fiesta ideas, I’ll be sharing Dave’s famous (seriously), authentic guacamole recipe at the bottom of the post.

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Whether you are planning a full graduation sized soiree or are hosting an intimate dinner, hopefully you’ll finish this post with all kinds of ideas – from food to decorations – to host the most festive Mexican fiesta ever.

You don’t have to provide a variety of beer and wine, especially for your Mexican themed party. Stick to your signature drink along with Mexican cerveza. For those who don’t drink, have pitchers/bottles of limeade on hand so they can get in on the festive celebration with virgin margaritas.

Let your citrus serve as your bar cart decor and have a LOT of limes on hand – these will be used in margaritas, beer, and in lining the rims in preparation of salt. For presentation, I like to pour margarita salt on a small bread plate. It will also keep your unused margarita salt fresh in the original package.

Lastly, I took full advantage of throwing a colorful party by hitting my closet and sifting through scarves and fabric. I found the most fun, golden tasseled scarf; I don’t know where it came from or how long I’ve had it (or if it’s ever been worn) but I think it was made for this Cinco de Mayo fiesta.

I used hand blown glass Mexican glass goblets on the side place settings (SIMILAR) and Mexican pottery goblets at each end (SIMILAR).

I found mini cacti at Home Depot for party favors and place setting markers; I printed little name cards, taped them to toothpicks, and punched a corner lace detail. Even if you aren’t hosting a dinner party, you can get several to set up as favors for guests.

Along with the arsenal of pieces I borrowed from my mom, I resorted to resourcefulness around my own house. I added a tasseled pashmina as a table runner (also a find from my closet) and flipped pink polka dot doilies upside down at each place setting – I thought they were reminiscent of little Mexican banners.

I made an effort to think outside the box, too – one of the mini Mexican pottery pieces I borrowed was a small garden pot. I lined it with paper towels at the bottom and used it as a chip bowl for the table. You can find a similar one HERE.

With so much vibrant color, I kept the dinnerware and runners as neutral as possible.

And then I extended the whiteware to the buffet for the taco bar. I even traded in my floral wreath for a sombrero 😉

It’s a relatively inexpensive way to feed several people so splurge a little and display all the toppings.

You can offer multiple salsas or if you have a crowd, easily set up a little salsa bar. If people are grazing at a party, you’ll go through a lot more salsa than at a dinner party. Be prepared. A lot of people (raising my hand over here) put that stuff on everything 😉

If you make flour tortillas, taco shells, and chips available, guests will be able to create tacos/nachos/burritos/etc. If you’re REALLY feeling ambitious, you can even add taco salad shells. But, that’s total over-achiever status 😉

Have both beef and chicken available. The chicken mixture can be prepared the day before; you can even use the recipe I use for my chicken tortilla soup (HERE); seriously – it’s simple and delish.