This weekend and next, Milwaukee will be full of vibrant celebrations honoring Día de los Muertos, the Mexican tradition of remembering and celebrating loved ones who have passed. Local organizations across the city are hosting events with colorful ofrendas (traditional altars), folk dance performances, art exhibits, concerts and more that blend tradition, culture and remembrance.
Here’s how you can experience the spirit of holiday:
Architects, interior designers, renovators and landscapers: Submit your best work for consideration!
1. Día de los Muertos: Honoring Ancestors, Celebrating Life
OCT. 28, NOV. 1 | MITCHELL STREET LIBRARY
The Milwaukee Public Library’s Mitchell Street Branch wraps up its monthlong series of events on Oct. 28, when you can visit the library to build and embellish mini ofrendas and plaster sugar skulls from 5-6:30 p.m. Visitors are invited to bring photos of lost loved ones to add to the Mitchell Street Branch ofrenda. Following that, on Nov. 1, the Unity in the Community celebration will fill the branch with live entertainment, food trucks, community tables and multicultural activities. For more information on times and scheduling, visit the MPL website.
2. Día de los Muertos Celebration at the Mitchell Park Domes
OCT. 31 FROM 6-9 P.M. | MITCHELL PARK DOMES
The Milwaukee Domes Alliance is honoring the Day of the Dead with arts and crafts, food vendors, dance performances, bilingual story times, and a light show. There will also be traditional ofrendas and decorations on display in the domes. You can purchase tickets online through the Milwaukee Domes website.
3. Day of the Dead Performances and Ofrendas
OCT. 31 AT 7 P.M. | LATINO ARTS INC.
Latino Arts – a nonprofit organization dedicated to Hispanic cultural programming – is hosting A Journey Through Mexico from North to South, a new performance from Ometochtli Mexican Folk Dance and other groups that highlights dances from many regions of Mexico. Additionally, Latino Arts’ Day of the Dead Ofrendas exhibit displays remembrances from community members and showcases the holiday’s evolving folk art and cultural heritage. The exhibit can be visited during weekdays from 10:30 a.m.-7:30 p.m. and runs through Nov. 14. Tickets for A Journey Through Mexico from North to South can be purchased here.
4. “All Souls Eve” Performance
OCT. 31 FROM 7:30-9 P.M. | MILWAUKEE ART MUSEUM
Present Music is opening its season with “All Souls Eve”, a celebratory concert inspired by Mexican Day of the Dead traditions. The evening will feature work by composers Viet Cuong, Gabriela Ortiz, Miguel del Aguila and Evan Chambers. Before the performance, guests can enjoy food from local food trucks, view a traditional ofrenda by artist Francisco X. Mora, and wander through the museum’s featured exhibition. Tickets for “All Souls Eve” can be purchased on the Milwaukee Art Museum’s website.
5. WPCA’s Día de Los Muertos Exhibition
NOV. 1 FROM 1-5 P.M. | WALKER’S POINT CENTER FOR THE ARTS
Walker’s Point Center for the Arts continues its long-standing tradition with the 33rd Annual Día de Los Muertos Exhibition, themed “Memory and Bravery”. The exhibition showcases contemporary works by local artists and altars created by community members reflecting on the lives of the departed and their legacy. The exhibition is on view until Dec. 5 at 839 S. Fifth Street. There will also be an afternoon celebration featuring dance performances, traditional pan de muerto, champurrado (a chocolate drink), and a variety of cultural activities at the center on Nov. 1 from 1 to 5 p.m.
6. Havenwoods State Forest Day of the Dead Program
NOV. 1 FROM 10 A.M.-12 P.M. | HAVENWOODS STATE FOREST
Milwaukee’s urban forest starts its Day of the Dead celebration with face painting and special crafts and ends with a special walk through the forest to honor deceased loved ones. The activities will last from 10 a.m.-12 p.m.
7. Día de los Muertos at Zócalo Food Park
NOV. 2 FROM 12-7 P.M. | ZÓCALO FOOD PARK
Face painting, a parade of Catrinas (an elegant skeleton symbolic of the holiday), paint and sip, and Latin rock band Calakas Sonoras are highlights of Zócalo’s celebrations. There will also be live music, art, family-friendly activities and, of course, the food park’s vendors.
8. Mexican Fiesta Presents Día de Los Muertos
NOV. 7-8 | FLORES HALL (2997 S. 20TH ST.)
The Wisconsin Hispanic Scholarship Foundation (WHSF) – which organizes Mexican Fiesta – is honoring everyone’s loved ones in what’s billed as “Wisconsin’s largest community altar.” Bring a photo of your late loved one to add to the display, and enjoy a theatrical dance performance from Mexico. The event will also feature a talk by Mexican cultural ambassador Orthon Tellez and a candlelight vigil to honor the deceased. Guests can additionally register for a paint and sip session with Tellez. Space is limited, so guests are encouraged to register here.
