Cinco de Mayo isn’t an official major event in Canada. That doesn’t, however, 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.

A number of Mexican-themed events happen on the weekend of May 5th in the Lower Mainland. There are non-Mexican-themed events too, like the Royal Canadian International Circus which is in Surrey and Richmond between May 2nd and 20th. That being said, although the circus isn’t here just for Cinco de Mayo, it still actually has a bit of a Mexican flavour as several of its performers are from Mexico and other Latin American countries.

In 2024 there is also a non-Mexican-themed concert with the EnChor Choir in Vancouver on May 5th, and the West Coast Wedding Show in Burnaby.

(TIP: With the circus, if you use the promo code VANSBESTPLACES, you can get two general admission tickets for the price of one! That works out to only about $21 per person! That’s so reasonable for what you get! To book your tickets, visit the royalcanadiancircus.ca website.)

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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

In 2024 the Greater Vancouver Food Truck Festival hosts an event at Central Community Park in Chilliwack. The Party in the Park takes place on May 4th and 5th and has a combined theme of both Star Wars and Cinco de Mayo. It’s a fun and free event at which people are encouraged to wear costumes or traditional attire. The event features food trucks, live entertainment, activities for kids, and more.

There are also a couple cooking classes taking place in the days leading up to Cinco de Mayo. On April 28th, there’s a Mexican Food Board Culinary Class at the Kitsilano Community Centre. Then, on May 4th, there’s a similar Cinco de Mayo Cooking Class at the Mount Pleasant Community Centre.

The Mansion Nightclub hosts a Cinco de Mayo Day Party on May 5th. The event has a tropical theme with lots of tequila and more. There’s also a Cinco de Mayo celebration at Hook Restaurant. It runs on May 4th from 8:00 pm until 2:00 am and includes DJ music, dancing, Mexican food and drinks.

Although not Mexican-themed, a beer-related event happening on May 3rd this year is the Search for the Perfect Pint. It’s a fundraising event for the Port Moody Rotary Club and one of the Lower Mainland’s best craft beer festivals.

The Royal Canadian International Circus is also in Surrey, at Guildford Town Centre, on May 5th, 2024 (and from May 2nd to 12th too). In early May there are also a number of flower festivals including kid-friendly Sweet Spring at Greendale Acres.

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

Other Non-Mexican Events

Some other events that take place on the May 5th weekend in 2024 (but that aren’t Mexican or Cinco de Mayo-related) include the following:

• West Coast Wedding Show – a bridal fair event at the Hilton Hotel in Burnaby on May 5th. (TIP: Use the promo code WCW-VBP20 to save 20% on admission.)
• Royal Canadian International Circus – in 2024 the hugely popular circus plays in Surrey (May 2nd to 12th) and Richmond (May 16th to 20th). (TIP: If you use 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 3rd, 2024.
• CityFest – a youth-focused festival in North Vancouver. It features live music and the region’s biggest skateboarding competition. This isn’t a Mexican-themed event, granted. Rather, it’s just a great youth-focused event that happens to take place on the first Saturday in May (which in 2024 is the 4th).
• 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 the last number of years up until 2023.

MAY 5TH WEDDING SHOW

Are you planning to get married soon, or know someone who is? The West Coast Wedding Show takes place on May 5th in 2024 at the Hilton Vancouver Hotel in Burnaby. It’s a great event for meeting wedding experts and getting ideas for your big day. It’s not a Mexican-themed event, obviously, but it does happen on the same day as Cinco de Mayo!

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 or August.
• Fiesta Mexicana – a free Mexican festival that used to take place at the Roundhouse in Yaletown at 181 Roundhouse Mews in September. Since 2017, the festival takes place as Market Mexico at Robson Square (although that too may no longer be happening).

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