Six ways to celebrate Cinco de Mayo 2011 with your family

Photograph: Cinzia Reale-Castello

There are plenty of ways to celebrate the Mexican-American holiday—and not all of them involve margaritas. Here’s our family-friendly guide to city festivities for the under-21 set. ¡Olé! 

Visit a Mexican restaurant
Treat your brood to a guac-making session at Rosa Mexicano (the lesson is free with an order of guacamole; go to rosamexicano.com for locations) or live mariachi music at Mama Mexico (May 5 at 7pm; go to mamamexico.com for locations). For more festive eateries, check out our roundup of familia-friendly Mexican restaurants in New York City.  

Head outdoors
On Friday, families enjoy festive foods, entertainment and vendors at the Cinco de Mayo at Grand Central Fair (May 6 at 7pm. E 43rd St between Lexington and Third Aves). On Saturday, A.R.R.O.W. Community Center’s Mexican Festival commemorates the anniversary of the Battle of Puebla with crafts, inflatable rides, music and performances (May 7 2–6pm. 35-30 35th St between 35th and 36th Aves, Astoria, Queens; 718-520-5919, nycgovparks.org). After indulging in a Mother’s Day brunch on Sunday, head to the Upper West Side to cheer on colorful floats and mariachi bands in the annual Cinco de Mayo Parade (May 8 at 11am. The route starts at Central Park West and 110th St and heads south to 97th St).

Learn Spanish
Tykes don’t have to habla español to partake in Book Culture’s weekly Spanish storytime, but chances are they’ll pick up some new vocab as they read picture books like Jorge el Curioso (May 6 at 3:30pm. 2915 Broadway at 114th St; 646-403-3000, bookculture.com). And at the Scholastic Store’s Cinco de Mayo Celebration, kids can learn some new lingo as they rock out to Moona Luna’s bilingual tunes (May 7 at 3pm. 557 Broadway between Prince and Spring Sts; 212-389-3800, scholastic.com/sohostore).

Get artsy
Niños and niñas can make (and shake!) their own paper maracas at East Flushing Library (May 4 at 4pm. 196-36 Northern Blvd at Francis Lewis Blvd; 718-357-6643, queenslibrary.org) or take part in Mexican-themed craft sessions at other local libraries (locations vary; check nypl.org for more information).

See a show
Teatro SEA, New York's Latino theater company for children, celebrates its 25th anniversary with a brand-new space on the Lower East Side. One of the group's most popular productions, Viva Pinocho! A Mexican Pinocchio!, a bilingual retelling of the classic story, kicks off the season on Cinco de Mayo (May 5–28. Clemente Soto Vélez Cultural and Educational Center, 107 Suffolk St between Delancey and Rivington Sts; 212-529-1545, teatrosea.org).

Celebrate at home
Up for a DIY fiesta? Invite friends over for a build-your-own-taco party, with margaritas for adults and mocktails for the kids. The soundtrack: Putumayo’s Mexico CD. Little ones can craft traditional tissue-paper flowers; try Alex’s My Giant Paper Flowers Kit ($11 at amazon.com). Serve cactus- and chili-pepper-shaped cookies ($37.50 for nine at elenis.com) for dessert, and give kids a shot at a retro-style rainbow donkey piñata ($12 at target.com) before they depart.