Where to Celebrate Day of the Dead in Denver

Are you ready to live it up at a Día de los Muertos celebration?

The Day of the Dead is a tradition that dates back around 3,000 years in Latin America; Mesoamerican cultures such as the Aztec, Toltec, Quechua, Mapuche and others hold a cyclical view of the universe in which death is an integral part of life. The dead are still members of the community, kept alive in memory and spirit, and welcomed back to Earth during Día de los Muertos.

Here in Denver, of course, Day of the Dead has morphed from a cultural celebration to an excuse for an arty party. Although the official dates for Día de los Muertos are November 1-2 — coinciding with All Saints Day — the celebrations have already started along the Front Range, where observances are increasingly popular. And on October 10, you can watch artist Cal Duran create an ofrenda at History Colorado Center, an altar honoring a very important artist who passed away this year.

Here’s where things could get lively:

Ongoing

Catrinas En Mi Ciudad
Now through Sunday, November 2, daily 7 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Galleria, Denver Performing Arts Complex
Artist Ricardo Soltero, who’s originally from Nayarit, Mexico, is bringing back Catrina En Mi Ciudad for a third year. Before the big event on October 19, you can see the Catrinas in the Galleria any day for free.

Hearts Do Not Forget: El Corazón Nunca Ovida
Through Saturday, November 15, open Friday through Sunday, noon to 4 p.m.
CHAC Gallery on Santa Fe, 834 Santa Fe Drive
Sonia Del Real and Shay Guerrero curated this show. “The heart remembers in ways the mind cannot. While names may fade and photographs may curl at the edges, love leaves an imprint that endures. Our joys, our sorrows, our laughter, and our tears, all of it is carried forward in the rhythm of our beating hearts. Hearts do not forget,” says Del Real.   

Unapologetically Chicano
Through Friday, October 24; open Thursday and Friday noon to 4 p.m.
CHAC Gallery at 40 West, 7060 West 16th Avenue, Lakewood
Tammy and Rob Yancey curated this show celebrating the richness, resilience and unapologetic pride of Chicano culture. Through October 16, the gallery is accepting entries for the Dia de Muertos Youth Art Show, open to all middle and high school students. That show opens November 7 and runs through November 22.

Yo Soy: Altares y Ofrendas
Through Saturday, November 1
Soccer City Aurora, 15960 East Colfax Avenue, Aurora
Now in its third year, Yo Soy: Altares y Ofrendas is a community altar installation presented in partnership with Soccer City Aurora and artist Cal Duran. This collaborative display celebrates the traditions of Día de Muertos. On November 1, the Copa de los Muertos, a day of 6×6 futball, will add to the festivities.

Upcoming

Día de los Muertos Altar Installation
Thursday, October 10
History Colorado Center, 1200 Broadway
In 2023, iconic textile artist and Corn Mother Rita Flores de Wallace came out of retirement to work with Cal Duron on creating her last public Dia de Los Muertos installation at the History Colorado Center. She passed away on April 27, and now Duran is creating an altar honoring her. “When I first saw her altars in 2005 at the Chicano Humanities Art Council gallery. I knew she was one of the artists who actually helped establish this holiday here long before it was popular,” he says. “To me, she was a visionary, paving the way for other artists in Colorado. Her knowledge of the spiritual significance of this holiday and her groundbreaking work in the 1980s was a catalyst that laid the groundwork for all of us.” Assisting him in creating the altar will be students from the Metro State University Denver Journey Through Our Heritage team and Jeanette Trujillo, founder of Fiesta Colorado and an artist with the Chicano Humanities Arts Council. The completed ofrenda will stay up through early November.

Day of the Dead Family Celebration
Saturday, October 11, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Downtown Longmont, 4th Avenue and Main Street
Longmont is hosting its 25th anniversary Día de Muertos celebration this year; it’s the longest-running Day of the Dead observance in Colorado. The Longmont Museum partners with dozens of individuals and community organizations to create the event, which starts with the family celebration in downtown Longmont. Festivities include live music and dance performances, sugar-skull decorating, face painting, cultural education, food trucks, a kids’ play zone, local vendors and a Gigantes Procession starting at 2 p.m.

Día de Muertos Exhibition
Saturday, October 11, through November 3; Wednesday through Sunday, noon to 5 p.m.
Firehouse Art Center, 667 4th Avenue, Longmont
In its Main and South galleries, the Firehouse Art Center has invited local artists to create their representation of La Calavera Catrina with “Catrinas on Parade.” Originally created by Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada, La Calavera Catrina is the icon of Día de Muertos, typically shown as a smiling female skeleton dressed in fancy clothing. There will be a special weaving workshop on October 12, as well as storytelling sessions on October 18 and November 2.

Dia de Muertos Live Catrina Contest and Community Altar Display
Sunday, October 12, 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Shops at Northfield, 8340 Northfield Boulevard
Honor your loved ones at a live Catrina Contest at this event in partnership with Ivan’s Crib. Sip, savor and socialize in the beer garden, which will be outfitted with live music and authentic Mexican food trucks, with face painting and more. The community altar display will be on view October 10-12.

Día de Muertos and Latin Festival
Friday, October 17, 5 to 9 p.m., and Saturday, October 18, 12:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Breckenridge
This free, two-day event honoring Latin American culture will transform a plaza in Breckenridge into the colorful world of Día de Muertos with Denver-based artist Cal Duran’s larger-than-life calaveras, papel picado lining the walkways, and a community ofrenda (altar) where everyone is invited to place their offerings. Friday begins with Lo que La Tierra Abraza / What the Land Embraces, an exhibition by Juan Fuentes that uplifts the voices of local immigrants, followed by a candlelight vigil with traditional Aztec dancers. On Saturday, the Arts District comes to life with hands-on workshops, face painting, live music, and a huge artisan market.

Playground String Quartet: Altar de Muertos
Saturday, October 18, 7:30 p.m.
Kim Roberts Dance, 1755 West 48th Avenue
The Playground String Quartet is celebrating Day of the Dead with a program of string quartet pieces featuring Mexican composers, including the Colorado premiere of Gabriela Ortiz’s ceremonial Altar de Muertos. The players will be wearing sugar-skull masks by Josefina Calzada.

Genesis Gallery: Leyendas De Mis Abuelos
Opening Friday, October 24; open Monday to Thursday 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Lakewood United Methodist Church,1390 Brentwood, Lakewood
Genesis Gallery’s Young Curator series is hosting Leyndas De Mis Abuelos, featuring works from Mexican paper mache artist Carlos Lecanda’s collection “Las Catrinas,” as well as over fifteen young and emerging artists. “At first I was intimidated about doing an exhibition that featured unknown artists with so many established galleries featuring juried work,” says curator Bianca Dominguez. “Then Carlos Lecanda offered to supplement our show with his work.  It was not only an honor but a great vote of confidence in what our young artists have to offer to the spirit of the holiday.”  There will be a family-friendly openng reception from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, November 7.

Dia de Muertos: Family, Ancestry and Community
Saturday, October 25, 1 to 9 p.m. (concert at 7 p.m.)
Armory Performing Arts Center, 300 Strong Street, Brighton
This free Dia de Muertos community celebration includes food trucks, sugar skills, art and face painting, including live performances by Mariachi Águila Denver, Grupo Folklorico Mexico Lindo and Grupo Huitzilopochtli. At 7 p.m., there will be a free concert with Quemando Salsa.

Día de los Muertos at Civic Center
Saturday, October 25, 2 to 9 p.m.
Civic Center Park
Día de los Muertos at Civic Center will bring the community together to honor ancestors and loved ones who have passed. Produced by Civic Center Conservancy and Manos Sagrados, led by Alicia “Bruce” Trujillo in partnership with Colorful Colorado Collaborations and D3 Arts, this commemorative event will bring unique, authentic performances and activities, including a community procession, live music and dance shows, an artisan marketplace, community altars and traditional Latin-American food and beverage. Admission is free.

Beaux Arts Ball
Saturday, October 25, 6:30 to 9:30 p.m.
Firehouse Art Center, 667 4th Avenue, Longmont
The annual ball that coincides with Dia de Muertos festivities in Longmont will be dedicated to artists. Self-expression through fashion is highly encouraged; the theme is “Favorite Artist or Work of Art.” There will be a grand promenade at 8 p.m., and festivities end with an auction of the Catrinas on display.

Day of the Dead Parade & Festival 2025
Sunday, October 26, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
National Western Center, 4655 Humboldt Street
Celebrate Día de Muertos at this new festival that starts with a parade, then moves into a day full of colorful altars, music and dancing, and traditional food offerings, including pan de muerto. Admission is free, but registration is required.

Untitled: Artist Takeover Celebrates Halloween and Day of the Dead 
Friday, October 31, 6 p.m.
Denver Art Museum, 100 West 14th Avenue Parkway
October 31 will be an arty party focused on Halloween. Untitled featured artists Moe Gram and Kristina Maldonado Badhand will host a night filled with a hall of haunted statues, a shadow puppet theater, tarot readings, spooky storytelling, music and dance performances, a pop-up bar, and more. Costumes (without masks) are encouraged! From October 27 through November 4, Momentos de Memoria will encourage you to place paper skulls near artworks that remind you of someone or something you’ve lost. Get tickets and more info here.

La Llorona Festival
Saturday, November 1, 2 to 4 p.m.
Hadley Branch Library, 1890 South Grove Street
The Denver Public Library’s fifth annual  La Llorona Festival, a tribute to Dia de Muertos, will feature an array of storytellers recounting tales of the legendary Weeping Woman known as La Llorona; they’ve been brought together by Charlene Garcia Simms, a well-known Southwest genealogist. “We are doing this to highlight the extraordinary contributions of our cuentistas. Preserving these tales helps us  honor an art form that adds a rich cultural presence to who we are as a people,” Garcia says. “As we celebrate Dia de Los Muertos, these storytellers pass on our tradition of oral history and help ensure a way families can continue to cherish this art form for a lifetime.”

Cooper Lounge Día de los Muertos Celebration
Saturday, November 1, 4 p.m. to midnight
Union Station, 1701 Wynkoop Street
Celebrate Dia de los Muertos in the Cooper Lounge with a festive party presented by El Tesoro Tequila, complete with a tarot card reader, themed cocktails and a photo opp area with marigolds and special décor. Denver Union Station will be working with the Mexican Cultural Center to set up a community altar in the Great Hall starting October 27.

Noche de Museo: Celebrating Day of the Dead
Saturday, November 1, 7 p.m.
Longmont Museum, 400 Quail Road., Longmont
Celebrate Día de Muertos at an evening of performances that range from ancient Aztecan dance with Grupo Mexica Tlahuitzcalli to the genre-bending rock and roll of iZCALLi. Tickets are $20 or $18 for museum members; get them at longmontmuseum.org or 303-651-8374.

Dia de Los Muertos at Art District on Santa Fe Celebration and Processional
Friday, November 7, 6 to 10 p.m.
CHAC Gallery, 834 Santa Fe Drive
Day of the Dead festivities in Denver wrap up with the annual processional along Santa Fe Drive on the First Friday of November.

Youth Art Show~ Dia de Los Muertos
Friday, November 7, 5 to 9 p.m
CHAC Gallery, 40 West 7060 West 16^th Avenue, Lakewood
Admissions are still being accepted for the Youth Art Show dedicated to Day of the Dead; it opens November 7 at CHAC in 40 West.

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