Mexican Fiesta

If you want a party that would appeal to a broad spectrum of people then a Mexican Fiesta would be it. Many people love Mexican food and the decor is so cheery and fun!An obvious time of year to have the Mexican Fiesta is on May 5th- A Cinco de Mayo party or September 15- Mexico's Independence Day. A fiesta works for any time of year, but these are big holidays in Mexico and especially in the southwest United States where there is a high Mexican population.

Invitations
*Go to a dollar store and find a some colorful plastic maracas. Attach the invitation
*Buy inexpensive packaged Mexican spices and attach a note with something to the effect of "You and your husband are invited to a spicy night of fun with friends on________________ at ________________. Señor and Señora __________ look forward to your RSVP. Please call 444-4544
*Get a cheap Mexican calendar, cut out the picture, with a permanent marker write the invite, then cut into a puzzle, put in a colorful envelope and mail or hand deliver.

Decor
*Bright colors is the key! Even blending colors that you normally would have next to each other like pink and orange, blue and green (think Dora the Explorer). The table cloths or plastic table coverings can be of the same color or different colors.

*Don’t worry about clashing. It’s hard to go overboard with bold colors at a Mexican celebration
*Large bright paper flowers on the table would look nice. Also smaller piñatas would be nice on the table.
*Scatter confetti on the table.
*You could buy some small inexpensive cactus's and wrap the container in colorful cellophane or tissue paper and tie with a pretty ribbon. These could double as favors.
*Hang a Mexican flag at a focal point in your room. Then, use smaller flags to decorate the walls and doors, etc.
*Decorate with bright colorful balloons or red, green and white balloons the color of the flag.
*Red tissue flowers will recall the beauty of the Mexican landscape. Place these in bunches around your room.
*For an authentic touch, visit your local travel agent and try to get posters of Mexico - some city scenes, some beach scenes and scenes of some of the historic ruins. You can mount these on foam core and hang them on the walls.

Menu
*Mexican, of course! To save money have it potluck. Assign guests to bring: appetizers, side dishes, and main dishes. Since you only need one dessert you can do it or give it to a reliable friend. Vanilla ice cream with churros is great. Or cut flour tortillas into triangles spray with oil and sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and bake. Stick into ice cream.
*For lighter fare or fiestas that take place during the day, choose Taco Salad. This can be served with either beef or chicken and can feature a variety of toppings as well.
*If you want to provide the entire meal Mexican food can be done on a tight budget. One option is a nacho bar. Get a big bag of tortilla chips at a warehouse store. Buy a large can of cheese and heat in the crockpot. Fry up some ground beef and season well. Cut up tomatoes, green onions, grate cheese, put out salsa and sour cream and consider opening a can of beans (rinse beans before serving). Then for dessert mix up some blender smoothies or milkshakes.
*Have a salsa bar, and a taco bar with similar ingredients as the nacho bar.

10 Mexican Foods that gringos love:
1. Enchiladas
2. Burritos
3. Nachos
4. Tortilla Soup
5. Tacos
6. Fajitas
7. Machaca (scrambled egg with shredded beef, and green chile with side of salsa and tortillas.
8. Torta (sandwich- often with carne asada, avocado, sour cream, lettuce and mayo
9. Refried Beans
10. Mexican Rice


Games and Activities
Play Limbo
Play Loteria (Spanish version of Bingo)
Break the Piñata
Teach the Macarena
Hire a Mariachi band
Decorate a corner of the room to look like Mexico and take photos of each couple there
"Nachos-Eating Competition" Mexican Fiesta Party Game

This Mexican fiesta party game is deliciously fun. Prior to the party, prepare a plate of nachos (or just corn chips and dip) and divide it among several bowls. Guests have to pair up, and take one bowl of nachos per team. One team-member stands behind the other, acting as their ‘arms’, and must feed the nachos to their partner. The first team to empty their bowl is the winner of this Mexican fiesta party game. This game could end up being VERY messy, so it’s a good idea to play it outside and provide players with ‘bibs’ to protect their clothes!!

Favors
*See decor regarding the cactus centerpiece
*Send each couple home with a jar of salsa and a note thanking them for coming
*A small goody bag with Mexican candies
*Look for any Mexican items at dollar stores or party stores
*Give everyone a Tortilla warmer and attach the following note "It warms our hearts that you chose to spend your evening with us. Love, the Martins"