Why not throw your own Cinco de Mayo party this year instead of heading out to the bar? This is a great way to satisfy your hunger for superb Mexican food, slip into some bright colors, and imbibe some Mexican beverages. When you take over the planning, you get to approve the guest list, the food, and the decorations.

Plan your menu carefully. Delegate dishes to friends and family if you wish so you do not have to prepare it all yourself. Catering may also be an option to think about. Choose some exotic dishes you love like tamales, quesadillas, and individual flans. Set up a taco or a salsa bar. Provide enough beverages for all of your guests. If you are providing alcoholic drinks, a nice Mexican beer or tequila may be a good choice. Do not forget a non-alcoholic option for those who choose not to imbibe. Horchata and agua fresco are refreshing Mexican beverages suitable for any age.

Set the right mood with your decorations. Hit your local market or party store just down the block. You can get banners, brightly colored cups, and plates. Hang strings of dried chilies or Latin-themed lights all over. Find some maracas or sombreros for your guests to enjoy. Big beautiful flowers made from tissue paper are a very authentic Mexican touch. A final touch would be hanging tissue streamers of red, green, and white in honor of the Mexican flag.

Prepare your guest list and send out your invitations early enough so your friends can plan on attending. Ask that they RSVP so you have an accurate count for food and beverages.

Festive salsa and other types of Mexican music add to the atmosphere of the party. If you have the money, a live mariachi band can make any partygoer want to dance. Stop in to your local Mexican market and check out the CDs, you should be able to find enough there to keep your guests entertained.

If children will be at the party, add some games for them to play. Hang a piata they can break. Let them play pin the tail on the burro. You can probably convince the adults to join in with the kids for a fun Mexican-themed scavenger hunt.

Hosting Cinco de Mayo parties can be fun and rewarding for all. You might even make it an annual occurrence. The key to a great party is planning and delegation; you will not have disappointment when you plan for success.

Once the partygoers are gone, you can gauge how the party went for all of your guests and yourself. Did it look like people were having a good time? How did you enjoy it? Would you do it again? The true test is: did the guest ask when the next party will be?

Looking for traditional Mexican recipes with a real authentic Mexican recipes flare try our selection of classically inspired Mexican dishes at MexicanFoodRecipes.org.