How to Host the Most Memorable Mexican Fiesta Party

Several years ago, a few fellow Mexican food bloggers were in town and we decided to host a Mexican fiesta at my house. It was wonderful to be able to open my home to inspiring Latinas and build a sense of community in the suburbs of Denver, where cultural activities are few and far between.

If you’ve always wanted to host a memorable Mexican fiesta party but don’t know where to start, here’s my guide, tips, and menu!

When Yvette, of Muy Bueno mentioned that Vianney of Sweet Life Bake and Christy of Christy Wilson Nutrition were going to be in Denver, we knew we simply had to do something together. We immediately thought, ¡MEXICAN FIESTA! Each of us got to work and proposed a menu item that played to our strengths.

PRO TIP: I like to lay out my ingredients for each recipe before I start cooking.

This was our delicious setup.

MAKE IT A POTLUCK!

When hosting a fiesta, I think you’ll find it easier if others contribute. Delegate and allow people to pick something they’re good at making. For big family fiestas, we have started to use SignUp Genius so that people can sign up for what they want. We are specific in terms of what’s needed, too.

For this fiesta, I was in charge of appetizers and dessert, Christy and Vianney took the lead on drinks and sides, and Yvette prepared the main entrée. It was essentially an organized potluck, where everybody picked a dish. We wanted everything to be easy to eat so most of our dishes were served on skewers or in small cups. The end result was as beautiful as we had imagined, which doesn’t always happen when hosting a party!

WHEN GUESTS ARRIVE

Once people started to arrived, I took the opportunity to introduce everyone as they were all eager to get to know one another. As a host, it’s important for me to introduce guests because in a crowd, shy people can get lost and feel anxious. One woman commented that she had been in a rut all week, but felt uplifted after spending the afternoon with such an inspiring group of mujeres. Another said that our food setup was the most beautiful she had ever seen. All of this simply made my day.

PRO TIP: Keep decorations simple. I get a few bunches of flowers and add them to glass jars or pretty Mexican pots to add color to the table.

RECOMMENDED BY LOLA

PRO TIP: Sometimes I’ll have everyone pick from this deck of Wisdom del Alma Affirmation Cards as an ice breakers for people to get to know each other. This works well if we’re all in the same room or space, especially when it’s a group of all women.

MEXICAN FIESTA MENU

Here are the juicy details and dishes we shipped up for the fiesta. We hop they inspire you to open your home and host a little something of your own soon.

APPETIZERS

When hosting a fiesta, it’s important to keep appetizers light, so guests eat the main entree. I tend to overthink appetizers, but really, simplicity is key.

Easy Cheese Board

I put together this cheese board in a grand total of five minutes and it included:

• Cheese: I opted for three of my favorites – Manchego, brie, and smoked gouda.
• Fresh fruit: grapes pair well with cheese, but be sure to cut them into small clusters. Berries and tropical fruits also work well and look pretty. Dried fruits such as cranberries, dates, and apricots are good alternatives.
• Nuts: I picked up a small bag of rosemary almonds and simply scattered them between the cheese and fruit.
• Quality crackers and jams: These are also nice to add to a cheese board. Quince jam pairs especially well with Manchego cheese as seen in this recipe.

Mexican Fruit Cups

Christy put together these lovely fiesta fruit cups with chile-chamoy sauce, which were also light enough for guests to enjoy before or after a meal. They totally took me back to the streets of Mexico, where fruta con chile y limón is a common snack.

Christy used a mix of jicama, mango, cantaloup, and cucumber for these. Feel free to pick your favorite fruit combination, avoiding fruits that will get soggy. Her homemade chile sauce added the perfect amount of spice. Now, on to the sides, sips, and main course . . .

SIDE DISHES

Side dishes should also be light, especially if serving a main entree.

Salad

Vanney, also known as the cocktail queen, tasted a mango jicama salad that remained ingrained in her memory until she recreated it at our fiesta. I loved the dressing and crunch that pipits added to her Mexican Summer salad with Cilantro Vinaigrette.

DIY Mexican Elote Bar

In my family, we suffer from FONEF (fear of not enough food), so I also prepared a DIY Mexican elote bar for our Mexican fiesta party. This allowed guests to get creative with their corn.

If you would like to create an elite bar of your own, be sure to include the following:

• Cooked corn: I bake mine in foil at 350 degrees for 45 minutes and finished them off on the grill once guests arrived. Cutting corn in half and serving it on wooden sticks makes it easy to serve and eat.
• Butter (real butter!): Slicing it in advance and serving it at room temperature makes for easy spreading.
• Mayonnaise: There’s no mayo vs. crema debate and in this house, mayo will always win.
• Queso: My cheese of choice for Mexican street corn is queso Cotija, but some people use parmesan cheese.
• Chile salt: Either chili powder or sauce (or both!) work well.
• Limes: I cut mine in half and include a handheld lime squeezer to avoid messy hands.

DRINKS

Mexican cocktails and aguas frescas are essential at any Mexican fiesta party.

Cocktail for a Crowd

Vianney made this thirst-quenching cantaloupe and cucumber cocktail. Serving cocktails in large bowls adds a new twist to fiestas, too. Read more about the Cazuela Voladora.

Agua Fresca

For our non-alcoholic bebida, Christy made refreshing strawberry aqua fresca sweetened with a touch of honey and agave. It looked extra cute in a Mexican vitrolero, which also allowed guests to help themselves to their next drink.

MAIN DISH

Making a dish that you can prepare in advance is key when hosting. The last thing you want to do is be cooking all night!

Grilled Meat

Yvette, our grill master, whipped up these tequila lime carne asada skewers. She ribboned the meat onto mini skewers making them extra easy to handle and eat. Our lipstick was left unscathed even after scarfing down a few of these babies. These cilantro lime chicken wings would have also been a great addition!

Veggie Option

We also grilled veggies for anyone who didn’t want meat. These colorful kebabs included tomato, bell pepper, red onion, and zucchini.

DESSERT

Keep it simple and make it in advance!

Paletas

Paletas are always great on warm days because they’re light, refreshing, and can be made in advance. Similar to appetizers, I have found that desserts should also be light so that guests don’t slip into a food coma after eating. That’s why I hade these dragon fruit coconut kiwi paletas. They were the perfect end to a delightful meal.

I hope this helps in you plan your next memorable Mexican fiesta party!

LOOKING FOR MORE INSPIRATION?

Check out these roundups for more inspiration:

• How to Build a DIY Breakfast Tostada Bar
• 50 Delicious Mexican Breakfast and Brunch Ideas

Until our next fiesta, cheers, salad, and l’chaim, from my casa to yours!

Handwoven Mexican Fiesta Napkins are available for purchase at Lola’s Mercadito.

This post was originally published on June 19, 2018 and updated on April 23, 2025.

Lola’s Cocina is a small business that earns various revenue streams. This includes sponsored posts and affiliate commissions from linked products, which I use and love, with no extra cost to readers. This income helps sustain the site.

Photography: Jenna Sparks