Updated 4:56 p.m. on Monday, Oct. 30:
The Día de los Muertos Parade & Festival was rescheduled to Saturday, Nov. 4, due to all that bad weather on Halloweekend. More details below.
Denver's proximity to the dead is strong this time of year when the spirit of Halloween coincides with Día de los Muertos, a Mexican holiday where families welcome back the souls of deceased relatives in a celebratory reunion of food, drink and makeshift altars.
The festivity, a blend of Mesoamerican ritual, European religion and Spanish culture, is commonly celebrated from Oct. 31 to Nov. 2 in Mexico.
This year, communities across the city with close ties to the Mexican version of Halloween will host parades, festivals, exhibition openings, sugar skull decorating workshops and lots of food for Denverites to take part in.
Here are ten places that will help bring Day of the Dead celebrations to life.
Día de los Muertos at Civic Center Park
Date: Saturday, Oct. 28 Saturday, Nov. 4 (rescheduled due to weather)
Time: 12-8 p.m.
Address: 101 W. 14th Ave.
Viva Colorado will be throwing a Día de los Muertos Parade & Festival featuring floats, marching bands, Ballet Folkloricos, fire trucks, Disney's Coco characters, lowriders, dancing horses and more.
The parade will kick off at 11 a.m. at 7th Street and Santa Fe Drive and make its way towards 13th Street and Mariposa near La Alma Lincoln Park.
The festival will take place at the Civic Center Park from 12-8 p.m. featuring food vendors, house bouncers, altar exhibitions, and music from Banda Los Mazatlecos, Sonora Dinamita, Orquesta Adolecentes and Grupo Kaoba. The community is welcome to bring a copy photograph of their loved ones and display it at the altar to be located at the Greek Amphitheater.
Día de los Muertos at Corky Gonzales Library
Date: Saturday, Oct. 28
Time: 9 a.m.-5 p.m.
Address: 1498 Irving St.
With support from the Chicano Humanities & Arts Council (CHAC), join Colorado Latinx authors and storytellers as they read excerpts from "Primas, Manitas and Calabacitas & Other Tummy Tales," which highlights well-known recipes for tamales, tortillas, buñuelos and other foods. The reading will run from 2-4 p.m.
Visitors will also be able to see an exhibition by Carlos Lecanda, a prolific Mexican paper mache artist titled "Las Catrinas" based on award-winning Denver author Kali Fajardo-Anstine's collection of short stories, "Sabrina and Corina." The pieces will live in the Denver library through April 2024.
Día de los Muertos with Ballet Mestizo
Date: Saturday, Oct. 28
Time: 6:30-11 p.m.
Address: 2340 Champa St.
Celebrate Día de los Muertos with a performance by Ballet Mestizo. Tickets are $30-$50.
Día de los Muertos at Denver Art Museum
Date: Exhibition opens Sunday, Oct. 29
Time: Open daily 10 a.m.-5 p.m., Tuesdays on 10 a.m.-9 p.m.
Address: 100 W. 14th Ave Pkwy
The new exhibition, "The Skeletal World of José Guadalupe Posada," opens on Sunday, Oct. 29 featuring the work of the 19th-century Mexican artist and lithographer. Posada's illustrations and skeletal figures are known as "calaveras" and "catrinas" and have become closely related to Día de los Muertos celebrations.
As one of the most prolific printmakers in Mexico, Posada used skulls, calaveras and bones to engage in political critiques about everything from social injustice to corruption. The exhibition will be on view through May 12, 2024. Entrance is included in general admission.
Día de los Muertos at La Raza Park
Date: Wednesday, Nov. 1
Time: 5-8 p.m.
Address: 1501 W. 38th Ave.
Nonprofits Cultivando and Grupo Tláloc Danza Azteca will host a Day of The Dead Altar Community Event to honor loved ones who have been affected by air pollution and bring visibility to environmental justice efforts in Commerce City. The free and family-friendly event will include entertainment, food and other community-building opportunities.
Día de los Muertos at CHAC Gallery
Date: Friday, Nov. 3
Time: 5-9 p.m.
Address: 834 Santa Fe Dr.
As part of First Friday festivities, celebrate the holiday at CHAC Gallery and the Santa Fe Arts District featuring face painting, Grupo Ritual Azteca Huitzilopochtli, a community altar and art by Dazzle artist Shay Guerrero.
Día de los Muertos at Museo De Las Américas
Date: Friday, Nov. 3
Time: 5-9:30 p.m.
Address: 861 Santa Fe Dr.
This free event hosted at Santa Fe's Museo De Las Américas will feature sugar skull decorating at 5:30 p.m., Folklorico Dance at 7 p.m., a catrina contest at 8 p.m., art installations and procession in collaboration with the Arts District of Santa Fe, CHAC and the office of Councilmember Jamie Torres.
Día de los Muertos at 40 West Arts District
Date: Friday, Nov. 3
Time: 6-9 p.m.
Address: 7130 W. 16th Ave.
Lakewood's 40 West Arts District will be hosting a Día de los Muertos Art Crawl in collaboration with galleries and other creative businesses in the area. Expect many exhibitions, altars, Aztec dancers, traditional Indigenous and Latino/a/x artists, food trucks, craft stations, face painting and more at the free, family-friendly event.
Día de los Muertos at Westwood
Date: Nov. 3-5
Time: 6-10 p.m. (Friday), 12-7 p.m. (Saturday), 11-5 p.m. (Sunday)
Address: 3700-3900 Morrison Rd.
The Muertos en Westwood Street Festival will be a three-day festival showcasing live music, vibrant art installations, workshops, and food vendors that showcase Day of the Dead traditions. Organizers from Hecho en Westwood have long supported local businesses and worked to preserve the cultural heritage of the Denver neighborhood.
Día de los Muertos at Cervecería Colorado
Date: Tuesday, Oct. 31, and Thursday, Nov. 2
Time: 7:30-9:30 p.m. (Tuesday), 5-9 p.m. (Thursday)
Address: 1635 Platte St.
The Cerveceria Colorado brewery will host two Day of the Dead-themed events at their location. On Tuesday, Oct. 31, there will be a Muertos Lotería Night from 7:30-9:30 p.m. with giveaways throughout the night. On Thursday, Nov. 2, there will be a sugar skull decorating workshop as a celebratory fundraiser for CHAC.
Did I miss any events? Email me at [email protected].
