Party all day long on the 5th of May. Serve Margaritas in Glow Margarita Cups. Choose from a great selection of tableware, decorations and accessories. Don't forget the sombreros and maracas and dance the Mexican Hat Dance! Serve a Sombrero Salad and other great Mexican Recipes. Have a great celebration.

Fiesta Invitations

There are lots of pre-made decorations for your fiesta but homemade ones are fun too, throughout the ideas below you will also find ideas for making some fun fiesta decorations.

Decorating with Balloons

Tie a bunch of helium filled fiesta balloons to a mailbox, porch railing or chair, or tie one to the back of each chair. If you choose not to use helium, tie balloons to varying lengths of curling ribbon, and hang balloons from the ceiling, or from a light fixture over the party table.

Balloon arches are ideal for photo backdrops, entryways, and to hi-light different areas around your party room and are easy to make.

 A column of balloons will work much the same way that arches do, and can be used for entryways, photo backdrop, or for a terrific splash of color when placed at intervals around a party room.

Balloon swags make the perfect accessory. They can be hung across the ceiling of a tent, or a room with a high ceiling like banquet halls or a gymnasium.

Use a Helium Tank to fill balloons. Tie Curling Ribbon to balloons, and group them together. (Odd numbers look best: 3, 5, or 7) Place groupings of balloons around the party room.

INDOOR DECORATING IDEAS

Hang crepe streamers of red, green and white (the colors of Mexico's flag)  and don't forget to hang a flag of Mexico too!

The budget for your event will determine how you will decorate for your event. If your budget is low, but your plans are grand, use one large scene like a Desert Flowers scene setter rather than using a lot of small items.

Fiesta Favors & Party Items can be used to enhance your decorating, place them on table tops or around your party area and give them to your guests to take home at the end of the party.

Sombreros are not just for wearing, hang sombreros on the back of chairs or just hang them on the wall. Use them to make this festive Sombrero Salad and place it on your serving table.  And don't forget the Mexican Hat Dance.

Make Chili Paper Garland. Start by stringing strands of red peppers for garland decorations or twist tissue paper into the desired red pepper shape and then cover them with masking tape and paint them red.  Hang them around the room and drape them on your tables.

Use Piñatas as decorations on tables and later hang them for are a great activity for your party! 

Use ponchos as overlays on tables or hang them on a wall.

Place cactus plants in colorful pottery and set throughout the party area. Inflatable cactus are also great for decorating/

Sponge paint your paved driveway. Use sponges shaped like cactus, coyotes, adobes, etc (can be purchased at a craft stores), and washable paints..

Fiesta Flowers

Oversized margarita glasses make great containers for flowers for your Fiesta event. Have your floral designer arrange fresh flowers like: Dendrobium orchids, Asiatic lilies, Alstromeria, Roses, Stargazer lilies, heather and salal, into these containers and top with faux or real limes or lime slices.

Make Mexican Flowers

Create colorful tissue paper flowers to add a festive touch to your Cinco de Mayo or Fiesta party table. They are both fun and inexpensive to make, and easy project to do with kids!
Need: Tissue paper, twist tie or pipe cleaner

Directions: For each flower, cut four pieces of tissue, 4 1/2 - inches x 10 - inches. Layer the tissue. Starting at one short end, accordion fold the layers of tissue, making pleats about 3/4 - inches wide. After the tissue has been pleated, round off the corners at each end of the pleated tissue to create a rounded petal shape. At the center of tissue, cut a small "v" shape from the accordion folds toward the center of the tissue. Repeat for the side directly opposite. Wrap a green chenille stem around the notched center of the tissue and twist off to secure. Carefully open out the pleated accordion folds at each side of the chenille stem.

To make floral arrangements insert tissue flower stems into floral foam, or gather flowers into a bundle, then place them in a vase or pot.

Decorate clay flower pots in different sizes and set around on the tables (Acrylic paint pens worked well.) Use medium or large Fiesta Flowers in the pots and place on your tables.

Twist chenille stems around a rolled napkin to make a napkin ring, or trim the stem off and use tissue flowers as a corsage or hair ornament.

Table top accents

Create instant fun when you set your table with brightly colored Fiesta Tableware (plates, cups, table covers, and napkins). Create a designer look by adding some solid color tableware  in red & green.

Remember that the tops of your tables provide a very large surface area, covering then with fiesta themed linens is the fastest and most economical way to transform your party area.

Create a "Hot Stuff " table by renting red table cloths with black overlay. Add black chair covers and red chair bands. Or create festive tables by alternating red, yellow, orange & green table cloths. If your budget will not allow you to use linen tablecovers, then use a themed tablecovers made of paper or plastic.

Fiesta Bandanas are great used as a napkins. Tie raffia tie around your chair backs and tuck in a Fiesta Bandana. 

Margarita Cups can be used to serve drinks or desserts. Use for fruit cups, shrimp cocktail or an ice cream sundae.

Papel Picado

Set the scene for your Fiesta by making your own Papel Picado using the instructions below:

Take out some scissors and make a couple of Mexican paper banners, these are made the same way you use to make snowflakes our of paper. This technique comes from Mexico and is called "papel picado," which in Spanish means, "pierced paper." They are usually made from tissue paper, but could be made from any paper that can be folded and cut. Lightweight plastic or vinyl could also be used to make them weather proof. In Mexico, artisans use special chisels to cut out intricate designs. You can make it easier by using folded paper and cutting with scissors. Festive and unique, they are fun to make and make a unique contribution to your Mexican theme. Attach them from string and hang all around the room.

This is a great project for kids to do or help with depending on their age and ability with scissors. It is truly a magical moment when you open your paper and see what beauty unfolds.

What you will need:
Tissue paper, the traditional size is 15 x 10-inches, although you can make them any size you want.
Small sharp scissors (cuticle scissors work great.)
String
Glue stick or stapler

Directions:

1. Fold the paper in half so you have rectangle. With the fold on top, fold in half again so that you have a smaller rectangle. Fold in half two more times until you end up with a much smaller rectangle.

2. Cut away shapes from the both edges that are only folds. Do not cut all the way across the rectangle or it will fall apart. Use the tip of the scissors if you like to pierce the paper in the center (be very careful so you don't stab yourself!!) and cut out more shapes.

3. Unfold once, and cut more shapes into the uncut folded edge and refine the interior cuts you have made if you want. Repeat this step until your papel picado is completely unfolded.

4. Once you have several cut out, run the glue stick along the top edge (very carefully so you don't tear the paper and fold over the string to secure (you could also use a stapler). Continue adding rectangles until the banner is as long as you want it.

Make some jack-o-lanterns from pumpkins add candles and place fiesta flowers around them, you could end up creating a new Halloween tradition.

Mexican Lanterns

Need: Construction paper, crayons or markers

Directions: Give each child a piece of construction paper and allow them to decorate any way they wish. (crayons and markers) Next, have the children fold the paper in half length wise. They should then cut 1'' cuts apart beginning at the fold but leave one 1'' border around the edges except the fold. Have the children then unfold and roll each long edge of the paper in a circle and staple. Use the hole punch to make two holes in the top, then tie a piece of string to the hole as a hanger.

Lighting

Or Spice up your party by hanging colored twinkle lights.

Fiesta Party Favors

An all time favorite for any fiesta party are  Maracas. Use Maracas to add color to your Conga Line. Sombreros are a must have for any fiesta. Other fun favors might include: Fiesta Beads, Tequila Sunglasses, Fiesta Bandanas and Fiesta Moustaches.

Paper Mache Maracas

Want to do it yourself then make Paper Mache maracas. One pair for each invited guest plus a few for decorations. These were made by covering water bomb sized balloons with paper Mache. When they are completely dry, cut off the tied end of the balloon and inserted dried beans and rice. Then use a length of wooden dowel and hot glued them in place for the handle. As the guests arrived, have each one paint their own maracas.

GAMES & ACTIVITIES

Mexican Hat Dance

Have a Mexican Hat Dance with Sombreros that come in assorted colors, lots of fun at your party.

• Gather the children to sit in a circle. Explain that a Mexican hat dance is a traditional Mexican dance done around a Mexican hat, which is called a sombrero. Place a sombrero on the floor and play some Mexican music. As you call each child's name, the child goes into the circle and dances as desired around the sombrero to the music.

Piñatas

Use Piñatas as decorations on tables and later hang them for are a great activity for your party!

Interpreting some simple Spanish words can also be a good activity. Make a list of some simple Spanish words and have guests list the meanings of the words.

"OLE"
Another game idea is to use a sombrero, each time a person says the word for example: "Ole" they have to wear the sombrero, until someone else says the word. Then that person wears the sombrero.

Limbo is a fun activity at any party, see "how low your guests can go"! Great for all ages from beginners to experts.

Bean Counting
Using a package of dried beans paint each side of the bean a different color using the colors, red, white, and green the colors of the Mexican Flag.

Place the beans in a cup and have one child in the group shake them and spill them out onto the table. Have the children place the beans into piles using the colored side that was face up. Have the children count the beans in the pile. Have them tell each other which color had the most and least.

Making Pottery
Purchase a piece of raw clay from a pottery or craft store. Gather pictures of traditional Mexican pottery. Show the clay and the pictures to the children have them make their own creations with ideas from the pictures.

Movement Activity Fun
Acquire a recording of music played by a mariachi band and a few Maracas  you could make your own with the children. Children listen to the music and move their bodies and maracas to the beat.


Cinco Game
Cut a piece of colored construction paper into the shape of the number five for each child in the class using a variety of colors. Give each child a 5 and allow him to show it to the other children. Then have each child sit on his 5. Have the children to try to remember what color 5's other children had. Then ask them to try to name all of the children who have a certain color. Let students use Spanish number words to count the number of students that have each color.


Jumping Beans
Explain to the children that a Mexican jumping bean has a type of caterpillar pupa inside it. When the caterpillar gets warm it twitches or jumps and makes the bean move. As the music plays have the children jump like Mexican jumping beans. When the music stops, have each child freeze until the music resumes.


Native Mexican Kickball
Explain that the game is a competition played by the Tarahumara Indians in Native Mexican villages. Set up an obstacle course on your playground. You should make the obstacles for kickball. An obstacle course might challenge players to kick the ball over a log, under the swing set, around a tree, over a ramp, through a tunnel, etc. Divide the children into two groups and allow the children to kick the ball through the course relay-style. The first team to have all players complete the course is the winning team.

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•  Make a Sombrero Salad and place it on your serving table. These Sombreros work well for your sombrero salad. 
• Bandanas make great napkins!
• Use Sombreros or Spanish Hats for decorating. Turn hats upside down and use to serve dry snacks.
• Copy the Mexican flag from the computer and glue them on small skewers and use at each guests place setting.

TASTING PARTIES

Share with the children Guacamole, Bean Dip and Corn Chips, tacos, burritos, enchiladas, refried beans, and Spanish rice.

TACO BAR

Everyone loves to make their own tacos, so try Tacos with their favorite toppings: cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, salsa! Gotta have chips and salsa, try serving the chips in a sombrero or sombrero chip and dip tray.

FIESTA CAKE
Make a cake in the shape of a very large cactus with toothpicks for spines.

Use one 9 x 13 cake, cut in half lengthwise and place one piece above the other to form the center of the cactus. From a second 9 x 13 pan cut 2 arms for the cactus, or use a horseshoe shape pan and cut apart in the center placing one piece on each side of the center cactus for the arms. Frost with green icing.

FROZEN PALETAS
Serve Frozen paletas (Frozen Juice Bars) for dessert.

FRIED ICE CREAM OR FLAM

More food ideas:

Click Here for Fiesta Recipes
How to Make a Sombrero Salad

Do a search for "Fiesta" at Bettycrocker.com  and Pillsbury.com for some great Fiesta Recipes.

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Theme Parties N More is a wedding & event planning company located in Cypress, TX. We are also a wedding & event florist. Our party & wedding planners have put this website together to provide our visitors with ideas for planning their events, this includes links to products that can help you to make your event extra special. In accordance with the FTC Guidelines we are disclosing that some of the vendors that we link you to, pay us a commission when you purchase products from them, but some of the vendors do not provide us with any compensation.