Cinco de Mayo festivities to be music to your ears

Looking for somewhere to celebrate Cinco de Mayo? Chances are, you're not from Mexico.

The fifth of May -- frequently misconstrued as south of the border's Fourth of July -- marks the 1862 victory against France at the Battle of Puebla. But it's not Mexico's Independence Day. (That's Sept. 16.) It's not even a Mexican national holiday.

Then again, we live in Las Vegas, and when has history ever mattered here? Especially if we can party instead. So expect to find plenty of mariachi music and flavorful spicy fare between Friday and Tuesday. Here's a list of activities we found.

FRIDAY

7 p.m., Clark County Library, 1401 E. Flamingo Road: Students in the Clark County School District's mariachi music instructional program perform. Monaco, Knudson and Smith middle schools will be represented, as well as Chaparral and Eldorado high schools and the Las Vegas Academy of International Studies, Performing and Visual Arts. Admission is free; call 507 3400.

7:30 p.m., South Point, 9777 Las Vegas Blvd. South: Fists will be flying in an action-packed night that culminates in a bout between Adolfo Landeros and Alejandro Perez for the WBC USNBC Super Bantamweight title. Tickets are $25-$100; call 797-8055.

8 p.m., Rio, 3700 W. Flamingo Road: The Tex-Mex Fest opens with Tejano bands David Lee Garza y Los Musicales, Robert Pulido y Los Clasicos and Chente Barrera; "King of New Mexico music" Tobias Rene; and "country-achi" with Gabe Nieto and the Jalapeno Express. Tickets are $49-$100; call 777-7776.

SATURDAY

4-7 p.m., Agave Comida & Tequila, 10820 W. Charleston Blvd.: It's a margarita-tasting fiesta for the Nevada Ballet Theatre, featuring violinist Nina DiGregorio and five tasting stations. Tickets are $35; call 243-2623, ext. 222.

8 p.m., Rio: The Tex-Mex Fest concludes with Little Joe y La Familia, Flaco Jimenez, Ruben Ramos and The Mexican Revolution, Charlie Rich Jr. and Augie Meyers. Tickets are $49-$100; call 777-7776.

TUESDAY

11 a.m.-2 p.m., 3-6 p.m. and 8-10 p.m., T&T at Luxor, 3900 Las Vegas Blvd South: Get the day started early with Mariachi Sahuayo and between-set spins by resident DJ Ernan. Admission is free; call 262-5225

4-9 p.m., Mi Casa at the Silverton, 3333 Blue Diamond Road: It's su casa, too, when a to-be-announced mariachi band performs. Admission is free; call 263-7777.

6-8 p.m., Agave Comida & Tequila: Mariachi Sahuayo, seemingly the valley's busiest act on May 5, performs again, this time accompanied by Fastboy the Pink Donkey. Admission is free; call 214-3500.

7 p.m., Boulder Dam Brewing Co., 453 Nevada Way, Boulder City: It's the third annual Cinco De Brew featuring local musicians Justin Mather and Carlos Guerrero in the beer garden. Admission is free; call 243-2739

8 p.m., Dos Caminos at Palazzo, 3325 Las Vegas Blvd. South: Chill to DJ Raul Campos, DJ Cyber Kid, and DJ Carlos Sanchez featuring Rico Delargo and percussionist Cayce Woody. All guests receive an iTunes download card for 20 tunes courtesy of Nacional Records. Admission is free; call 577-9600.

Contact reporter Corey Levitan at clevitan@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0456.