SALT LAKE CITY, Utah, May 3, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — Perhaps you get a strange hankering for tequila, or you just like wearing one of those gigantic mariachi band hats.
Whatever gets you excited for May 5th — Cinco De Mayo — is a good thing! Here are five excellent ways to celebrate this oh, so very festive day.
- The Blue Iguana: I’m starting with food because … duh! Food is always first on the list to celebrate anything in my life, from a root canal to getting my taxes done. Let’s start with the venerated Blue Iguana, which always kicks off this week in style with live music every night, specialty dishes and elaborate drinks. See their calendar of awesome here.
- Telemundo Cinco De Mayo Festival: The party kicks off at 11 a.m. Saturday and runs through 7 p.m. This is family oriented and admission is free. It’s at Centennial Park, 5405 W. 3100 South, West Valley City. There are bands, dancing, food and prizes. Yay!
- Midvale’s Cinco De Mayo Extravaganza: The party’s back at Midvale City Park, and there are performers like Sonia Lopez and a whole gaggle of local bands and dance groups. The event runs this Friday and Saturday. Admission is free, and there are lots of local artisans, authentic food and kid’s activities.
- Chalula at The Garage on Beck: It’s 21 and older for this hip band at the Garage, which is offering some interesting menu specials to go with the free-flowing Margarita Fountain. (Um, I’m pretty sure they don’t have one of those, but wouldn’t a margarita fountain be EPIC? Or maybe like an ice cream truck that drove around your neighborhood, but with margaritas.)
- The Salt Lake City Street Taco Tour: What better way to celebrate this auspicious holiday than with the locals who make our mouths water every day with their delicious taco stands? I’m betting you’ve tried maybe one or two of these. Todd and I are going to hit five to taste test. And then fall asleep in a food coma.
Educational moment that sort of makes me look like a responsible parent:
What do we actually celebrate on Cinco De Mayo? It’s a holiday that celebrates the date of the Mexican army’s 1862 victory over France at the Battle of Puebla during the Franco-Mexican War (1861-1867).
Ironically, this is a relatively minor holiday in Mexico, much like St. Patrick’s Day in Ireland, but with our scrappy “can-do” American attitude and desire for another holiday centered around cocktails and lots of food, we have built it up into something glorious here in the states. There. Tell your kids and you’ve done your job.
