Cinco de Mayo Kansas City 2012

Although many think that Cinco de Mayo is Mexican Independence Day, the 5th of May recognizes the victory of Mexican militia over the French Army at the Battle of Puebla in 1862. Independence Day or not, Kansas City, with one of the largest Hispanic and Latino populations in the Midwest, has plenty of celebrating to do. If you're looking to immerse yourself in Hispanic culture, listen to some Tejano, or want to eat some great Mexican fare, Kansas City is the place to be on the 5th of May.

Fiesta in the Heartland at Crown Center is the largest Hispanic festival in the Midwest, boasting a record crowd of over 18,000 at its 2009 Cinco de Mayo celebration.

Please note: Fiesta KC will be held June 22-24th, 2012

The event, located across from the Crown Center shops, brings Latin Music, delicious cuisine from local Hispanic restaurants and even has a children's activity center complete with moon walk. Check out the Fiesta '12 schedule for event times.

The Azteca Cinco de Mayo celebrations are about as authentic as they get. Now in its 22nd year, the FREE event is held at Emerson Park in KCK. The celebration has everything from Folkloric and Brazilian dancing to Mariachi's playing throughout the park.
Check the Azteca website for complete event information.

Azteca Cinco de Mayo Parade (Starts @ 24th and Metropolitan to Strong, then to Emerson Park)
Azteca Cinco de Mayo Fiesta, Emerson Park after the parade until 9pm.

The Guadalupe Center hosts it's 20th annual Cinco de Mayo celebrations May 4th and 5th, 2012. Not only will the center host musical guests and have a Mariachi Mass, the celebration will include children’s rides, a dance concert, a cultural art exhibit, Mexican delicacies, and special performances.

The Guadalupe Center is located at 1015 Avenida Cesar E Chavez on the Westside. Check out their website for complete event details.

Leawood's newest resident not only serves up amazing Mexican fare by famed Chef Aarón Sánchez, but plans to host Kansas City's largest Cinco Celebration. Festivities will take place Wednesday, May 2nd through Saturday, May 5th and will be the first of what will be an annual festival at Mestizo.

On May 2nd, Sánchez hosts a private tequilla dinner, Tickets are limited to 30 persons and are $100 each.

There will be everything from live entertainment and flamenco dancers to and doors open at 9am on Cinco de Mayo with outside tented area ($10/$15) which includes a margarita or two tacos. and Reserved VIP seating is also available on the rooftop. Don't forget all those amazing margaritas, the jalepeno is my favorite.

Please call 913-752-9025 for more information. Mestizo is located at at 5270 W. 116th Place in the Park Place development.

Come one, come all to the Johnson County Cantina Crawl! Make plans for this Cinco de Mayo to party with Nightlife KC on Saturday, May 5th. The challenge includes participants to venture throughout Johnson County, and make it to all Cantina locations for a chance to win a round-trip to Mexico.

The challenge begins at 12 Noon, and Nightlife KC’s party buses will take you to the four locations of Saints Pub & Patio, Mac’s Sports Pub, Tanner’s Bar & Grill, and Talk of the Town Grill.

Tickets are $5 at www.cantinacrawl.com, or even the day of for $10.

Kansas City is home to hundreds of great Mexican, Latin, and Spanish restaurants with great cuisines. For Cinco de Mayo, you can't go wrong heading downtown to Southwest Boulevard--known to many as 'Little Mexico'. The Boulevard is home to everything from taco joints and Tex-Mex restaurants with great margarita's, to awesome places to get great tapas.

On Cinco de Mayo, these Southwest Boulevard restaurants will be packed-but trust me, it's well worth the wait.

• Margarita's-(2829 SW Blvd) This legendary Mexican establishment boats a big party on the 5th of May. They'll have the Cuervo Girls, cheap buckets of beer, import and beer specials, as well as a free t-shirt making Margarita's the Cinco de Mayo go-to spot.
• Ponak's-(2856 SW Blvd) The party all day, party all night motto lives on at Ponak's on Cinco de Mayo. The taco's aren't too bad either. Expect a huge line, but you can hang around in their bar and drink their famous margaritas for hours.
• El Patron: (2905 Southwest Boulevard) I can't get enough of El Patron's legendary margaritas, in fact I could drink them all day. Expect a band, dj, food and margarita specials all day from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Other Spots:

• Maloney's: (7201 W. 79th, OPKS), expect a DJ, $4 margaritas and Corona's, and $5 bombs.
• Power and Light District's Cinco de Drinko: $25 ALL YOU CAN DRINK FROM 8-11 & NO COVER AT ALL VENUES. Tengo Sed Cantina also hosts up their Party in the Street at the Walnut Street Stage starting at 11am.
• Sol Cantina: Cinco De Drinko, 5/5. Live music and great specials all day long. Making Movies 2-5pm ,Dolewite 6-10pm, and DJ Ashton Martin 10pm-close!