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Celebrate the 19th Annual Día de los Muertos Festival with community altars in the museum. Free and open to the public!
This year’s commemoration of the Day of the Dead will be celebrated on Sunday, November 5, 2023.
Known in English as Day of the Dead, this life-affirming celebration of the eternal cycle of life has been observed for centuries. Day of the Dead combines ancient and colonial traditions, folk customs, and spiritual beliefs. Celebrated in Mexican and Latin American communities on November 1 and 2, Dia de los Muertos is a powerful, symbolic way to honor relatives and friends who have died.
Traditionally, families assemble altars or ofrendas, in their homes laden with offerings of food and drink to nourish the spirits on their long journey back home. Flowers, candles, clay figurines, sugar skeletons with the names of the deceased, and personal messages to the spirits are placed on the altars.
Tacoma Art Museum’s annual Dia de los Muertos Festival has grown over the years, bringing together community organizations, schools, families, and individuals to create altars, celebrate, and share.