5 Events To Celebrate Cinco De Mayo Near Long Valley

LONG VALLEY, NJ — Cinco de Mayo, always observed on May 5, falls on a Tuesday this year, so the celebration of Mexican heritage and culture starts this weekend in many towns, including in and around Long Valley.

From food deals to full-blown fiestas, Long Valley and neighboring towns are offering several ways to celebrate the Mexican holiday.

Celebrations include:

• May 5: Ice Cream Nachos at Ort Farms, Long Valley
• May 5: Dining specials at La Rienda, Long Valley
• May 2: Morristown Cinco De Mayo Bar Crawl kicks off at the Frog Restaurant & Sports Bar at 5 p.m.
• May 1,2,3: The Iron Bar in Morristown is celebrating Cinco de Mayo all weekend with happy hour specials, nightlife specials, and more.
• May 5: Cinco de Mayo Outdoor Event hosted by Homestead Bar & Kitchen in Morristown, noon to 8 p.m.

Cinco de Mayo marks Mexico’s 1862 victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla, when an outnumbered Mexican army pulled off an unlikely win.

The date is often mistaken for Mexico’s Independence Day, which actually falls on Sept. 16 — decades after independence from Spain was secured.

While May 5 is an official holiday in Mexico, celebrations there are generally modest and largely centered in Puebla, where parades and ceremonies commemorate the battle. In contrast, the holiday has grown into a major cultural and commercial event in the United States.

Cinco de Mayo celebrations here date back to Mexican American communities in California in the years following the Battle of Puebla. The holiday spread nationwide during the Chicano Movement of the 1960s and expanded further in the late 20th century, evolving into the widely observed — and often party-focused — occasion seen today.

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