Día de Muertos | Day of the Dead

Celebrate our beloved Day of the Dead tradition in New York City with art-making, live music, and more.

Day of the Dead (Día de Muertos) is a time to honor and revere our deceased family members and ancestors. This tradition is rooted in the native Mexican belief that life on earth is a preparation for the next world and of the importance of maintaining a strong relationship with the dead.

Join us and dedicate our ofrenda (altar) to your departed loved ones by bringing copies of photographs, notes, and letters to be part of the ofrenda (altar) and honor them throughout the celebration.

Schedule

12 - 5 pm - Marketplace

Mexican folk art, papel picado, sugar skulls, pan de muerto bread, and Mexican food on sale

1 - 4 pm - Workshops

Make paper flowers, decorate your Día de Muertos button, and more

3 pm - Claudia Valentina Montes (Music)

Enjoy the beautiful soulful performance 

4 pm - Son Pecadores (Son Jarocho)

Enjoy the regional folk musical style of Mexican Son 

Live Music • Mexican Folk Art Market • Mexican Food

The event is rain or shine. We may cancel some activities or events if there are strong wind gusts, heavy rain, or snow.

About the Day of the Dead

Day of the Dead has been one of Mexico’s most important festivals since Pre-Hispanic times. It is a time for families to gather and welcome the souls of the dead on their annual visit home. Cempasúchil (marigold) flowers, burning copal incense, fresh pan de muertos bread, candles, sugar skulls, photographs, and mementos of the departed adorn special altars. In Mexico, the Day of the Dead is celebrated over an entire week with the preparation of altars, foods, dance, music, and special offerings for people who have died. Mano a Mano recreates the magical space of a village churchyard during the celebration and has organized a series of events, including altar building, workshops, dance, poetry, and music.

Downloads

• Pan de Muerto Bread Recipe
• Sugar Skull Recipe
• Color Sugar Skulls
• 2022 Day of the Dead Postcard

Thank you to our Supporters

The Day of the Dead festival is supported, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature; by public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council; Lincoln Center for the Performing Art's Latine Employee Resource Group, Mex-Am Cultural Foundation; CUNY Mexican Studies Institute; The New York Community Trust - Mosaic Network & Fund.

Additional support is provided by St. Mark's Church in-the-Bowery, Copalli Mexican Folk Art, and Creatives Rebuild New York.