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 happened on the weekend of May 5th, 2024, in the Lower Mainland. There were non-Mexican-themed events too, like the Royal Canadian International Circus which was in Surrey and Richmond between May 2nd and 20th. That being said, although the circus wasn’t there just for Cinco de Mayo, it still actually had a bit of a Mexican flavour as several of its performers are from Mexico and other Latin American countries.
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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 hosted an event at Central Community Park in Chilliwack. The Party in the Park took place on May 4th and 5th and had 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 was a Mexican Food Board Culinary Class at the Kitsilano Community Centre. Then, on May 4th, there was a similar Cinco de Mayo Cooking Class at the Mount Pleasant Community Centre.
The Mansion Nightclub hosted a Cinco de Mayo Day Party on May 5th. The event had a tropical theme with lots of tequila and more. There was also a Cinco de Mayo celebration at Hook Restaurant. It ran on May 4th from 8:00 pm until 2:00 am and included DJ music, dancing, Mexican food and drinks.
Although not Mexican-themed, a beer-related event that happened on May 3rd, 2024, was the Search for the Perfect Pint. It was 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 was 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.
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 also had a special Cinco de Mayo menu on both May 4th and 5th.
All of the above events are highly recommended (but for very different crowds).
Other Non-Mexican Events
Some other events that took place on the May 5th weekend in 2024 (but that weren’t Mexican or Cinco de Mayo-related) included the following:
- West Coast Weddings Show – a bridal fair event at the Hilton Hotel in Burnaby on May 5th. (TIP: If you used the promo code WCW-VBP20, you saved 20% on admission.)
- Royal Canadian International Circus – in 2024 the hugely popular circus played in Surrey (May 2nd to 12th) and Richmond (May 16th to 20th). (TIP: If you used the promo code VANSBESTPLACES you could 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 was 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.
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.
- 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).
- 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.
