Cinco de Mayo isn’t an official major event in Canada. Howevrer, that doesn’t stop Vancouverites from celebrating the Mexican holiday on or around May 5th.

Many local pubs and restaurants, especially Mexican and Latin American ones, go all out with their promotions to support this event.

A number of Mexican-themed events happen on the days before or after May 5th in the Lower Mainland. There are non-Mexican-themed events too, like the Royal Canadian International Circus some years.

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Vancouver Cinco de Mayo Celebrations | Other Non-Mexican Events | What is Cinco de Mayo? | Latin American Restaurants | Other Information

Vancouver Cinco de Mayo Celebrations

Some examples of events that have taken place in the days leading up to Cinco de Mayo in previous years include a cooking classes at the Kitsilano Community Centre and Mount Pleasant Community Centre. There are also various nightclub events, and themed events at bars and pubs.

Although not Mexican-themed, the Greater Vancouver Food Truck Festival hosts a great event at Central Community Park in Chilliwack. The Party in the Park often takes place on the first weekend of May, although last year was a week earlier. That event features food trucks, live entertainment, activities for kids, and more.

The Royal Canadian International Circus is also often in Surrey, at Guildford Town Centre in early. There are also a number of flower festivals including kid-friendly Sweet Spring at Greendale Acres.

If you are looking for a place to celebrate Cinco de Mayo with food, there are a number of great Mexican Restaurants in the Lower Mainland. The Lobby Restaurant at the Shipyards in North Vancouver typically has a special Cinco de Mayo menu on the day too.

All of the above events are highly recommended (but for very different crowds).

Other Non-Mexican Events

Some events that took place around May 5th in 2025 (but that aren’t Mexican or Cinco de Mayo-related) included the following (and 2026 will likely be similar):

• Royal Canadian International Circus – in 2025 the hugely popular circus was in Surrey (May 8th to 11th) and Richmond (May 15th to 19th). (TIP: If you used the promo code VANSBESTPLACES you can get 2-for-1 pricing on general admission!)
• Search for the Perfect Pint – a beer-themed fundraising event in Port Moody on May 2nd, 2025.
• CityFest – a youth-focused festival in North Vancouver with live music and the region’s biggest skateboarding competition. It was on May 10th in 2025.
• Sweet Spring – flowers and kid-friendly activities at Greendale Acres Farm in Chilliwack.
• Abbotsford Tulip Festival – fields of colourful tulips at Lakeland Flowers in Chilliwack.
• Harrison Tulip Festival – where you’ll find the new location in Agassiz of what used to be the Chilliwack Tulip Festival a few years ago.

What is Cinco de Mayo?

Cinco de Mayo is not Mexican Independence Day – that’s on September 16th. Cinco de Mayo celebrates the day the Mexican army defeated the French army at the Battle of Puebla. That was on May 5th, 1862.

Today Cinco de Mayo is celebrated in Mexico (especially in the state of Puebla), extensively in the United States and in some parts around the world, including here in Vancouver.

Latin American Restaurants

Being the cosmopolitan city that it is, Vancouver is home to lots of great Mexican and Latin American restaurants (many of which help their patrons celebrate Cinco de Mayo during the first week of May each year).

A few good Mexican establishments include the following:

• La Mezcaleria – with locations at both 1622 Commercial Drive and 68 East Cordova (in Gastown). The restaurant is open Tuesday to Sunday. It specializes in small batch tequilas and mezcal.
• Las Margaritas – a restaurant in Kitsilano at 1999 West 4th Avenue that serves good Baja and California-style Mexican food.
• The Mexican Antojitos y Cantina – at 1049 Granville Street in the heart of Vancouver’s main entertainment district.
  

Click Latin American Restaurants for a list of other great restaurants.

Other Information

For other Latin American-themed events at different times of the year, check out the following:

• Carnaval del Sol – a major Latin American festival in Vancouver in July.
• Surrey Latin Festival – a two-day event in July in Surrey.
• Carnavalito on the Road – a one-day event in September celebrating Latin culture with music, dancing and food in Langley.
• Latin American Heritage Week – a series of events in October and early November.

For other kinds of events, check out Vancouver’s Festivals & Events Calendar or May Calendar of Events.