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Día de los Muertos Family Festival

Name: Día de los Muertos Family Festival
Start: 2025-10-30T17:00:00-05:00
End: 2025-10-30T20:00:00-05:00
Location: The Grace Museum – Courtyard

October 30 @ 5:00 pm - 8:00 pm

Enjoy FREE cultural festivities with activities for all ages!

This annual tradition brings the community together to remember loved ones through joyful activities and mindful celebrations. This centuries-old holiday from Mexico is now celebrated internationally, spreading vibrant cultural traditions such as sugar skulls, ballet folklorico, and fragrant ofrendas with it. The Grace’s annual festival includes crafts, calaveras, dance performances, face painting, and more!

**All activities will be hosted at The Grace Museum along with our festival partners!

Dance Performance 5:30-6:00 pm by Ballet Folklorico del Big Country
Storytimes & Pop-Up Craft with the Abilene Public Library
Face Painting with the Center for Contemporary Arts
Light Refreshments & Candy provided by H-E-B Abilene
Make-n-Take Bags with Grain Theory
Sugar Skulls, Paper Marigolds, Monarch Butterflies, Alebrijes, and Mini Ofrendas with The Grace Museum
Moveable Skeletons with the National Center for Children’s Illustrated Literature
Magical Marigold Messages with the Spark Science Center
Community Ofrenda – We want this to be reflective of our community, so please feel free to bring copies of photos of your deceased loved ones to add to the ofrenda throughout the month of October. **PLEASE NOTE: Any photo or item placed on the ofrenda will be added into our Día de los Muertos collection, which will be included in the ofrenda each year. Plants and food are not allowed.**

**Join us for an After Party at Grain Theory (202 Pine St #201)

This year we are partnering with Grain Theory to offer a Festival After Party! Stop by the brewery between 5:30pm – 9:30pm to enjoy extended festivities. From screenings of the movie Coco to $5 Desert Cruiser Mexican lager all evening, this after party is for both kids and adults.

DJ Manteca will be playing tunes 5:30pm – 9:30pm
Street Taco Special for the day + a kids meal special for the night (chicken strips + fries)
Luna Y Harina will be doing a pop-up with some traditional pan dulce
Pose by V will have a free themed Photo Booth all evening
Coco will be playing in Grain Theory’s event room (“The Blakeley”) First screening will begin at 6:00pm. Second screening will begin at 7:45pm.

**HOLIDAY HISTORY & TRADITIONS

Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) is a holiday observed throughout Mexico and Central American and South American regions. The celebration emerged with Spain’s colonization of Mesoamerica as indigenous beliefs and practices adapted to Catholic ones. On November 1 and 2 each year, families and friends joyfully celebrate their loved ones who have passed. Some people commune with their ancestors in a liminal space, while others enjoy an annual remembrance of their loved ones. Common practices include setting up ofrendas – altars with the deceased’s photos and favorite things – and making the iconic sugar skulls that have become synonymous with the holiday. Calacas (decorative skeletons) adorn celebrations and Catrinas paint their faces as Día de los Muertos applies humor to what would otherwise be a rather solemn observance of the dead.