Cinco de Mayo is a celebration of Mexican culture and heritage that takes place every year on the 5th of May. It commemorates the Mexican army’s victory over the French in the Battle of Puebla in 1862, during the France-Mexico war.

It is widely celebrated in Mexico and the United States. Large celebrations and parades take place in the Mexican city of Puebla and Los Angeles, Chicago and Houston in the United States.

While celebrations may be smaller in the UK, bars across London will surely be offering special deals on Mexican inspired cocktails! Many will head to Soho, which is a popular destination for Mexican food.

While the UK’s Mexican population is quite small at around 10,000 (based on 2021 ONS Census predictions), business relations between the two nations are strong and major UK corporations like HSBC, AstraZeneca and the InterContinental Hotels Group now operate in Mexico. World Bank analysts and Goldman Sachs predict that Mexico’s growing economy could be the 5th largest in the world by 2050.

40% of Mexicans in the UK are students, most reside in London, Manchester, Yorkshire and university towns like Oxford, and Cambridge.