Fiesta Party Invitations:
"Feliz cumpleaños" is the way to say "Happy Birthday" in Spanish and that's just what
you'll have for the birthday kid when you get going on the invitations for your fiesta
party. Here are some fun ideas to help make the memories last:
Fiesta Party Decoration Ideas
To help transport a South of the Border feel, cloak the entire family in colorful
ponchos, and colorful embroidered apparel. Assemble straw sombreros and hang
them on chairs. Here are more ways to create a festive fiesta:
"Feliz cumpleaños" is the way to say "Happy Birthday" in Spanish and that's just what
you'll have for the birthday kid when you get going on the invitations for your fiesta
party. Here are some fun ideas to help make the memories last:
- Is the party for your little "Chiclet"? Then send edible confetti! Include a pack of
Tiny Size Chiclets in the envelope along with the message: "Our little Chiclet is
turning five." Chiclets are a Mexican favorite
- Design a card with a fringe motif like piñata. Start with bright and bold single-fold
cards (yellow is a terrific option). Find crepe paper streamers in two or three
contrasting colors, such as hot pink, lime green or blue. Cut crepe paper
lengthwise in half, then cut fringe and arrange in rows to glue on the card. Use
rubber stamps for your message.
- Here are some Invitations and party wording ideas:
- Ole'! Zoey is turning five, so save your siesta, until after the fiesta!
- Pin your tail on the donkey and join us Saturday, May 15 at noon
- Casa de Smith at 123 Main Street
- RSVP: Señorita Sally at 867-5309
Fiesta Party Decoration Ideas
To help transport a South of the Border feel, cloak the entire family in colorful
ponchos, and colorful embroidered apparel. Assemble straw sombreros and hang
them on chairs. Here are more ways to create a festive fiesta:
How to have a Fiesta for kids
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"Fiesta" Party
How to have a Cinco De Mayo or Mexican theme party for kids
Kids can enjoy a soiree the Mexican way with a "Fiesta" on the fifth of May or any day!
Say "Adios" to burgers and balloons, and say "Hola" to salsa and sombreros, piñatas
and ponchos! This is a Mexican inspired journey for your little Margarita or Miquel that's
filled with maracas, mariachi music, and a Mexican buffet. Aye Carumba! The kids will
love a Mexican birthday fiesta or Cinco De Mayo party, and here's how to add just the
right amount of sizzle:
How to have a Cinco De Mayo or Mexican theme party for kids
Kids can enjoy a soiree the Mexican way with a "Fiesta" on the fifth of May or any day!
Say "Adios" to burgers and balloons, and say "Hola" to salsa and sombreros, piñatas
and ponchos! This is a Mexican inspired journey for your little Margarita or Miquel that's
filled with maracas, mariachi music, and a Mexican buffet. Aye Carumba! The kids will
love a Mexican birthday fiesta or Cinco De Mayo party, and here's how to add just the
right amount of sizzle:
- Grab a sombrero and your maracas and get ready to rumba! As kids arrive to the
party, welcome them with an "Hola," then top them with a sombrero and hand
them some maracas for instant merriment. You might also offer use of a mini-
guitar to allow kids to form a makeshift mariachi band. This mariachi magic will
surely inspire some flamenco dancing, particularly with adult encouragement.
- Make your own Mexican serape or poncho. Your Mexican inspired attire starts with
a bold, striped material you find at the fabric store. For a serape, or blanket, cut
long strips so that the pattern is horizontal, then cut fringe. Wear the serape or
drape it as a table runner. For a poncho, or vest, simply cut it into a large
square, then cut a circle in the center for an easy costume. If you can crochet,
try these easy crochet poncho patterns.
- Fold a faux floral arrangement. Blooming in the Mexican tradition, the paper
flowers, left, will provide a festive accent to your fiesta party decor. While many
artisans in Mexico use corn husks that they've painted in bold colors, you can
make them yourself from tissue paper and chenille (pipe cleaners) in a few
simple steps. Here's an easy video on how to make a Mexican paper flower.
- String them along. If you have a few balls of yarn and can glue together two
Popsicle sticks into a cross, then you've got the potential and makings of
Mexican folk art. These ornamental crosses called "Ojos de Dios," which
translates to "Eyes of god," help ward off evil spirits. This stick weaving craft
made a revival in the '70s with the hippy generation. Make your own revival for
the party. Start with colored sticks, right, and follow the Popsicle-stick craft
instructions.
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- More ways to transport them south of the border with fun and games.
- Dad can wave a red flag and yell "Torro, Torro" to invite a little charging bull.
The boys will enjoy the "bull fighting" which is apropos if it is a May birthday
(often sign of the bull). - Teach the kids to dance the Macarena!
- Play pass the jalapeño (a variation of the hot potato game). Use mariachi music
of course!
Resources for a Cinco de Mayo Party for kids
- Say "Hola" to Barbie. The ideal birthday gift to preserve the memories of this special
celebration is the Cinco De Mayo Barbie, left. She'll also make an ideal fiesta party
decoration as a table centerpiece.
- Print, cut, party! If you have a color printer and some patience on the computer (as
well as cutting and pasting and gluing), then visit ETSY.com seller paperandcake for a
fiesta party kit that you can download and customize.
- Make merry with Mexican paper cutting. In the Mexican tradition, try "Papel
picado," the art of cutting tissue paper into lacy and elaborate designs.
Traditional Mexican artisans use special hammers and paper punches on tissue
papers, but you can use scissors, and craft punches to create your own
elaborate designs. Stringing them into banners provides an instant Mexican vibe.
Making Magic Windows, left, a book by Carmen Lomas Garza, provides
instruction for papel picado that's easy enough for a novice, yet produces grand
results that will surely impress your guests. If you can make paper snowflakes,
you can make papel picado banderitas and banners. Why not involve the
birthday child in advance of the party? Then you'll both be expert instructors for
this party activity.
- Don't duck out of the cute favor ideas. This is a children's party, so float the
adorable sombrero rubber duckies, left, in a kiddies pool. This decoration idea
does double duty as a party favor and game and here's how: number each
ducky with a Sharpie pen, float them in the pool, then have kids take turns
fishing out a duck they can redeem for a corresponding prize.
- Head South of the Border with a few spicy props:
- Head to the thrift shops for mismatched utensils
- Load up on colorful peppers to spice up your centerpiece.
- A piñata makes an almost instant fiesta, so it goes without saying you
should have at least one of them at the Cinco De Mayo birthday.
Traditional piñatas are a five-point star shaped or shaped like a burro or
donkey. Whatever you choose, it will be a smashing success. - Prop an inflatable cactus into a terra cotta pot for a convincing
presentation. - Your Cinco De Mayo celebration should honor the Mexican national flag
with a festive display of green, white and red. (Green symbolizes
independence, white for religion and red for the Union.) The mylar
balloon, left, will give the right lift.
Fiesta party foods
Aye carumba: what a feast you can have! But even the most finicky kids will enjoy
feasting on taquitos as the main course. You'll find them in the frozen food section of
your grocer. Just heat and serve. Nachos or Quesadillas are relatively easy to make
and are great kid-friendly options. Older kids will enjoy a taco or burrito bar. And for
the adults: enchiladas and a salad.
- Dip into some fun. Giving kids a taste of Mexico starts with the chips. Look to your
grocery store for special tortilla chip varieties in green, red, and blue. You'll
please the adults, too with a variety of salsas and picante sauces. Try salsa
verde, corn salsa, pineapple salsa and black bean dips alongside the expected
nacho cheese dip and guacamole. Be sure to keep the spicy variety of chips and
salsas high above and away from kids reach to avoid any unpleasant surprises
as this is a kids party!
- Make mock margaritas and sip silly sangrias. Transport imaginations to a warmer
locale by cooling them off with refreshing beverages:
- Make an icy mock margarita by blending frozen lemon or limeade with ice.
Rim a plastic margarita glass with a wedge of lime and a dip into colorful
drink sugars so it looks "authentica." - For a kid-friendly sangria, start with pitcher of grape juice, add a dash of
spritzer and garnish with wedges of citrus fruit (a pretty mix of lemon,
lime, and orange). - Skip the rum and mix up a Pina Colodas available in your frozen beverage
isle of your grocery store. Remember the fancy drink umbrella! - Frap a frosty Fresca with a blended mixture of watermelon cubes, crushed
ice, and raspberry or lime sherbet. Top with miniature chocolate chips to
look like watermelon seeds and a green straw.
- Ideas for a sweet finale to your fiesta party:
- Flan, a Mexican style custard, is a traditional dessert option, but kids will
expect a birthday cake, and here are some ideas:
- For a girl, choose the Fiesta girl cake by Wilton.
- For a boy, consider the Sombrero hat fondant cake topper, also by
Wilton.
- Search local Mexican bakery for sugared pastries.
- Mexican wedding cakes are not cakes at all, but a sort of shortbread
cookie. These powdered sugar dusted cookies make a nice
accompaniment to the dessert lineup. - Cinnamon sugared donuts provide a close substitute for Churros.
- In the Mexican tradition, serve hot chocolate, which will go well with the
cake! - Serving coffee for the adults? Offer them a Kahlua laced coffee creation
topped with whipped cream and chocolate shavings.
- Finally, be sure to enlist help of family and friends when it's time for the birthday
cake: ask them to substitute "Feliz Compleaños!" for "Happy Birthday" or add
some pizazz to the Happy Birthday song with "cha-cha-CHA" interruptions. For
example, "Happy Birthday to you! Cha-cha-cha. Happy Birthday to you! Cha-cha-
cha! Happy Birthday dear Maria... Happy Birthday to you! Cha-Cha-cha!"
Fiesta party games, activities and favors
Are you stuck on the border trying to come up with fun and games beyond the piñata?
Then here's your passport for fun:
- Play pin the tail on the piñata. Buy a donkey shaped piñata for a clever game of
pin-the-tail on the donkey in three dimensional form. Make your own tails with
curling ribbon and staple the tail to a number corresponding to each child, then
hang the piñata and allow kids, blindfolded of course, to try their luck pinning the
tail to the piñata.
- Get loco with jumping bean lore. Read "Lucas and His Loco Beans: A Tale of the
Mexican Jumping Bean" by Ramona Moreno Winner, left. The book is an
entertaining journey of nature and science. After reading the story, give each
child some jumping beans of their own.
- Providing Mexican jumping beans as favors to accompany the reading of the
book will make you the talk of the town; however, they are available only
seasonally around August of every year, so if you're planning a Cinco De Mayo
celebration, you'll have to settle for the ball bearing in plastic variety, right. If
they are in season, we suggest ordering jumping bean favors from MyPetBeans.
com. You'll get 40 jumping beans and ten information booklets for $18.95 plus
$6.00 handling. MypetBeans.com also includes ideas for fun games to play with
your jumping beans.
- Mexican party favors that will say "Gracias" with style. While the Mexican jumping
bean would top all the loot possibilities for your fiesta party, they may not be
available for your party date. Traditional Mexican toys make excellent party
favors and here are some suggestions:
- Wooden Mexican cup toy called a "Baleros"
- Wooden Jacob's Ladder toy, called a "Tablitas"
- More kids fiesta party favors are available online:
