Green-Wood Cemetery will welcome neighbors of all ages on Saturday, Nov. 1, for its annual Día de Muertos Family Celebration, an afternoon filled with live music, dance, art, crafts and food from local vendors.
Rooted in Indigenous Mesoamerican traditions, the Day of the Dead is celebrated across Mexico and Latin America as a joyful remembrance of those who have passed. Families honor ancestors through food, music and ofrendas, vibrant altars adorned with offerings to the departed.
This year’s event centers around Reposo y Recuerdo (Rest and Remember), a large-scale community altar created by artist Laura Anderson Barbata inside Green-Wood’s Historic Chapel. The immersive installation features handwoven hammocks, papel picado, paper marigold garlands, painted calaveras and a space for personal offerings. The altar remains on view through Nov. 16.
The celebration will include performances by Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, Mariachi Huella Mexicana and spiritual dance group Cetiliztli Nauhcampa, along with a reading by Luisa Navarro, author of Mexico’s Day of the Dead, plus a live DJ set. Families can also enjoy storytime and a bookmobile from Sunset Park Library.
Local food vendors, Maria’s Bistro, Siempre, Don Paco and La Snackeria, will serve community favorites. Thanks to support from Borough President Antonio Reynoso and Ponce Bank, free snacks will be available starting at 4:00pm while supplies last, followed by food for purchase.
Visitors can join hands-on craft stations to design crowns or Catrín hats, decorate plantable marigold seed skulls with Genspace, make paper kites inspired by Guatemalan barriletes, or create photo frames to add to the community ofrenda.
Guests can also help decorate a large alebrije made by Sunset Park High School students, visit the mascotas altar honoring lost pets, or snap a photo with Green-Wood’s festive Trolley de Muertos.
The event is free and open to all, with registration encouraged to help organizers plan for attendance.
