Where to Celebrate Day of the Dead in Denver

Still want to live it up at a Día de los Muertos celebration? Although the official dates for Día de los Muertos are November 1-2 — coinciding with All Saints Day — the celebrations started early along the Front Range, and they’re continuing well into November.

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 that’s completely separate from Halloween. But there are also ongoing exhibits, as well as new events this weekend.

Here’s where things could still get lively with Day of the Dead celebrations:

Muertos en Westwood Street Festival
Saturday, November 8, noon to 8 p.m., and Sunday, November 9, 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Westwood neighborhood
After a month of Day of the Dead workshops, Denver’s Westwood neighborhood is hosting its third annual Muertos street festival, a three-day community celebration of life, death,and resilience. This year’s events focus on migration, remembering those we’ve lost and the collective strength of the community. “Migration is being criminalized and man-made borders are dividing us,” say the organizers. “Muertos en Westwood is meant to be a space to honor the journeys that shape us — loss and remembrance, life and death, tradition and transformation.” There will be art installations, family-friendly activities, live entertainment and plenty of food.

Ongoing

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.

Día de Muertos Mini Altars
Through Sunday, November 16, daily except Monday
Fort Collins Museum of Discovery, 408 Mason Court
Fort Collins Museum of Discovery is displaying mini altars created by the community to remember those no longer physically with us.

Youth Art Show~ Dia de Los Muertos
Through Saturday, November 22, open Thursday and Friday, noon to 4 p.m.
CHAC Gallery, 40 West 7060 West 16^th Avenue, Lakewood
The Youth Art Show dedicated to Day of the Dead, featuring youth artists and curated by Felipe Dominguez, opened November 7 and runs through November 22.

Xochimilco: Works by Eduardo Robledo Tomero
Through March 22
Denver Botanic Gardens, 1007 York Street
Step into a world inhabited by animal spirit guides, shamans who can manipulate the weather and farmers who till both soil and spirit. Xochimilco: Works by Eduardo Robledo Tomero, which opened October 11 at the Denver Botanic Gardens, highlights the complex ties that bind Mexican culture to the natural world through both Indigenous and European beliefs. Robledo’s artworks draw on cultural traditions from his hometown of Xochimilco, as well as his own personal experiences; he’s co-founder of the Lugar de huida gallery, a space dedicating to showcasing Mexican printmakers.

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