Every year, Billboard celebrates Cinco de Mayo with a hits-stacked playlist curated for our readers.
For 2025, we went all out, bringing together the most popular patriotic songs and party anthems in genres such as rock, mariachi, pop and banda to make sure there’s something for everyone.
Although many think this much-celebrated date is just about partying, good food and great music, it’s often mistaken for Mexico’s Independence Day, which is on Sept. 16. Cinco de Mayo actually commemorates the Mexican army’s unlikely victory over French forces at the Battle of Puebla on May 5, 1862. And while it’s not the country’s independence day, in the U.S., it’s celebrated with as much — or more — fanfare.
Comprised of 20 songs, Billboard’s ultimate Cinco de Mayo playlist kicks off with an all-time classic: “Cielito Lindo,” a Mexican folk song popularized in 1882 by Mexican author Quirino Mendoza y Cortés. There are thousands of versions of “Cielito,” including a recent salsa version by Mexican artist Jimmy Rodriguez, but you can’t go wrong with the one powered by Mariachi Vargas.
In the playlist, you’ll also find Paulina Rubio’s “El Último Adiós,” because there’s no better way to drown out sorrows and heartache than with tequila and mariachis; Thalía’s “Amor a la Mexicana,” a sultry, pop cumbia that celebrates love; and, Ramón Ayala’s “Tragos Amargos,” because a real Mexican party always ends with this norteño anthem, to name a few.
So, take out your favorite bottle of tequila or mezcal, and get ready to party!
