18 Best Places to Celebrate Cinco de Mayo 2019 in Las Vegas

It’s that time of year again! Corona is currently airing these commercials, which can only mean one thing…

Cinco de Mayo is right around the corner!

So where are you going to be celebrating?

Somewhere fun? Somewhere relaxing? Somewhere loud and festive?

Maybe a combination of all three?

If that’s the case, Vegas is the place to be. Our Cinco de Mayo celebrations are….well, you know how it is.

What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.

In this post, we’re going to tell you about the 18 best places to celebrate Cinco de Mayo 2019 in Las Vegas.

But before we get into all that, here’s a quick pop quiz: do you know why we celebrate Cinco de Mayo?

It’s Because We’re Celebrating Mexican Independence Day, Right?

Nope. Two totally different holidays.

Mexican Independence Day is celebrated on September 16. It commemorates Mexico’s revolt against Spain.

Cinco de Mayo, or the fifth of May, celebrates the date that the Mexican army defeated Napoleon III’s French forces at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War.

And although Cinco de Mayo is a fairly minor holiday in Mexico, it’s a much bigger deal here in the United States, and it has become an occasion to celebrate Mexican heritage and culture.

Here’s What Happened on the FIRST Cinco de Mayo

The year was 1861. And Benito Juarez was president of Mexico.

Mexico was dealing with a lot of financial problems at the time and was forced to default on the debt it owed to various European nations.

And those European nations were none too happy about that.

In fact, France, Britain, and Spain were so mad they sent their naval forces to Mexico and basically said, “Pay us. Like…right now.”

Fortunately, Mexico was able to work out a deal with Britain and Spain, so the Brits and the Spaniards took their forces back home.

Unfortunately, France, ruled by Napoleon III at the time, took a different route.

Napoleon III was like, “You know what? Since I’m already down here, why don’t I just expand my empire into Mexico?”

So in 1861, the French fleet stormed Veracruz, forcing President Juarez and his government to retreat. The French then set out to attack the town of Puebla de Los Angeles in east-central Mexico.

Meanwhile, Juarez gathered together a force of 2,000 troops and sent them to Puebla to fortify and defend the town.

The Battle of Puebla took place on May 5, 1862, and it lasted from morning to early evening. Although the Mexican forces were outnumbered and had poor supplies, they still defeated the French troops.

It wasn’t a major strategic victory, but the Battle of Puebla was hugely symbolic and inspired the Mexican army to continue resisting the French.

Mexico finally forced the French to leave their country in 1867, thanks partly to help from the U.S., both in terms of military aid and political pressure on France.

So now that you know the origin story of this famous holiday, let’s move on to the celebration stuff.

Here are the 18 best places to celebrate Cinco de Mayo 2019 in Las Vegas!

Cinco de Mayo Las Vegas Food and Drink Specials

1. Blondies Sports Bar & Grill

You can get $5 Estrella Micheladas for the entire month of May at Blondies Sports Bar & Grill inside of the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood.

2. El Dorado Cantina

$10 meals! $25 margarita flights! A live mariachi band!

All this and more can be found at El Dorado Cantina, an authentic Mexican restaurant and bar right off the Las Vegas Strip.

3. Fleming’s Steakhouse

Fleming’s Steakhouse is doing something pretty gutsy for Cinco de Mayo.

They’re partnering with Tequila Ocho and crystal manufacturer Baccarat to offer a $100 Prime Margarita.

Now, the most obvious question one might ask is, “Why on Earth would anyone pay $100 for a margarita?”

Here’s why:

• It’s served in a Baccarat crystal glass which you get to keep. The glass usually costs well over $100 if you buy it from a store.
• The margarita is made with Tequila Ocho — which costs about $189 per bottle — and Grand Marnier Cuvee du Centenaire, which costs around $160 a bottle.

If a premium quality margarita served in a premium quality glass — which you get to keep — is enough to convince you to shell out 100 big ones, you can take advantage of this special offer for the entire month of May.

4. Lake Las Vegas

Going to be out near Lake Las Vegas? Sonrisa Grill is having an all-day fiesta where you can enjoy Mexican cuisine and listen to live Latin music performed at the Village Gazebo – the site of the Lake Las Vegas Cinco de Mayo party.

5. La Salsa Cantina

$5 for Mexican beers and 1800 Silver Tequila shots all day on Cinco de Mayo at La Salsa Cantina, located inside the Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood.

6. PT’s Taverns Parties

In honor of Cinco de Mayo, PT’s Taverns – which has 64 locations throughout the valley and Nevada, will be hosting Cinco parties at all their locations on May 4 and May 5.

7. Plaza Las Vegas

Want to check out downtown Las Vegas’s Cinco de Mayo party? Then drop by The Plaza Hotel and Casino. Their party is free to the public and will be held under the property’s dome starting at 7 pm on May 4.

8. Therapy Restaurant

This Cinco, swing by Therapy down in the Fremont East Entertainment District to try their Nachos Loco plate. The restaurant closes at 10pm, but don’t worry – they’ll be reopening at 11 pm for a party at their new nightclub Relapse.

9. Yard House

$5 house margaritas, salted watermelon margaritas, and pomegranate margaritas all day at all Las Vegas Yard House locations on May 5.

Las Vegas Cinco de Mayo Music Events

10. Pepe Aguilar’s Jaripeo Sin Fronteras

Grammy-award winning musician Pepe Aguilar is coming to the MGM Grand Arena on horseback to present his ambitious concept show Jaripeo Sin Fronteras. The show features highly trained horses, champion American rodeo bulls, charros and cowboys, the Spanish bullfighter Ratilla, American clowns facing dangerous bulls, and much more!

11. Camila and Sin Bandera

Camila and Sin Bandera are two powerhouse bands capable of drawing huge crowds all on their own. Now they’re combining their top-tier talent for a night to remember. On May 5, they’re coming to Zappos here in Las Vegas as part of their 4Latidos Tour.

12. DW Bistro

Cinco at DW Bistro! The restaurant will be partnering with Frank Marino to host Diva-licious Brunch.

What is the Diva-licious Brunch?

It’s two showings of Marino’s Celebrity Drag Queen performers: one show at 11:30 am and another at 1:30 pm.

It’s only $10 to see the show, and they’ll be serving their regular brunch menu at an additional cost. Note that the $10 entrance fee only gets you through the door; it doesn’t guarantee you a reserved table!

Las Vegas Cinco de Mayo Party Spots

13. Señor Frogs

Señor Frogs is like a spring break party 24/7.

With its raucous, anything-goes atmosphere, it’s a popular destination spot for people visiting Treasure Island. Even the staff gets in on the fun by pulling people on to the dance floor and encouraging beer-chugging contests.

They also offer just about every rum and tequila drink you can imagine: margaritas, daiquiris, and mojitos, which you can order in a souvenir palm-tree shaped cup.

14. Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville at the Flamingo

It’s called Margaritaville. How can you not visit it on Cinco De Mayo? Plus, Jimmy Buffett songs and videos play on a continuous loop, so if you’re a fan of his music, you’ll basically be experiencing heaven on earth.

This three-level spot features an outdoor balcony overlooking the Strip. You can dance to live entertainment that’s going on both indoors and outdoors.

Finally, Margaritaville has several bars, including the central Volcano Bar, a three-story volcano that erupts over the bar, pouring margarita mix into two, giant 300-gallon blenders every hour.

15. The 2019 Cinco de Mayo Fremont Bar Crawl

This one’s not for the faint of heart. Or liver.

If you’re into day-drinking AND night-drinking this bar crawl will definitely be up your alley.

Hosted by LA Epic Club Crawls, the 2019 Cinco de Mayo Fremont Bar Crawl will have you running from bar to bar in downtown Vegas, enjoying as many drinks as you can handle.

Check-in is at Mickie Finnz — between Fremont and Las Vegas Blvd — between 12 pm and 5 pm. You’ll be given a map and a wristband, and then you’re on your own!

Participating bars will be listed on the map, along with the various drink specials.

16. Cinco de Mayo Street Fiesta

Let’s take it to the streets! Make your way down to Hussong’s Catina Boca Park for tacos, margaritas, and music.

The fiesta will take place in the parking lot and includes fun for the entire family, including Rock ‘N Roll Mariachis from 3 pm to 5 pm, a DJ, a Pee-Wee Herman impersonator, taco bar, photo booth, face painting, and of course, drinks, drinks, and more drinks!

17. Centennial Hills Park Amphitheatre

Mariachi Sol de Mexico de Jose Hernandez with be performing at the amphitheatre, along with high school mariachi bands. They’ll have food and drink, plus alcohol for the adults.

18. Take Advantage of Essence’s Cinco de Mayo Specials!

Check out our website for Cinco de Mayo deals!

You can enjoy these special deals at all of our three locations — Las Vegas Strip, Tropicana West, and Henderson.

Want to avoid long lines? Place your order online for either pickup or delivery.

Enjoy yourself, stay safe, and have a Happy Cinco De Mayo!