A Vallarta Supermarkets location in Indio, California. Vallarta photo

Cinco de Mayo falls on a Tuesday this year, and local businesses are marking the occasion with tacos, craft brews, live music and dancing.

Farmers Market Festivities

River Park Farmers Market is hosting what it calls one of the largest Cinco de Mayo celebrations in the Valley on May 5 from 5-9 p.m.

The family-friendly event will feature music, including a Latin dance set from Clovis-based DJ Bravo. Dancers from Ballet Folklórico y Marimba de Fresno will give a 30-minute performance at 7:15 p.m. Youth performers will also take the stage.

Locally grown produce and handmade goods from local vendors and artisans will be available for purchase.

Visitors can order craft beer on tap or mango margarita beer slushies from BarrelHouse Brewing Co., which they can enjoy on the brewery’s outdoor patio.

Stocking Up for the Holiday

For those planning to cook at home, local supermercados are running Cinco de Mayo specials through the week.

According to a 2026 U.S. Department of Agriculture national retail report, U.S. produce advertising increased 4% this year in anticipation of the holiday as grocers and food retailers ran specials on Mexican cuisine staples such as avocados, corn, cilantro and limes.

El Toro Loco, located at the corner of West Shields and North West avenues near CVS, is a supermercado offering fresh produce alongside a carniceria with meat and seafood sold by the pound.

The store is running seven-day Cinco de Mayo specials from May 5-11. Various cuts of meat — including marinated beef, pigs’ feet, chicken legs and shrimp — are on sale, along with avocados, limes and pinto beans.

Vallarta Supermarkets is also nodding to the holiday, encouraging shoppers to “Celebrate May with fresh, festive flavors.”

A note on history

Cinco de Mayo is not Mexico’s Independence Day — a common misconception. The holiday commemorates El Día de la Batalla de Puebla on May 5, 1862, when an army of 2,000 Mexican soldiers led by General Ignacio Zaragoza stopped an invading force of 6,000 French troops during the Second Franco-Mexican War.