19th Annual Dia de los Muertos

Dia de los Muertos returns to the Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center on Sunday, November 1, from 1 PM to 6 PM. This is the 19th year the MACC has hosted the celebration, which is a family-friendly, alcohol-free day for honoring ancestors, family, friends, and public figures through ofrendas, art installations, and hands-on activities. A collective outdoor ofrenda is open for public contributions, so you can bring something to add to the community altar yourself.

The day is built around a few distinct programs. Teatro Sin Fronteras performs Xochimiquiztli, a 30-minute play that goes back to the Aztec origins of the holiday, following the lovers Malinalli and Cuauhtemoc through Mictlan, the Land of the Dead. There are two showings: 2 PM in English and Nahuatl, and 4 PM in Spanish and Nahuatl. The Catrina contest traces the history of calavera imagery, and the MACC Education Department runs free face painting and sugar skull decorating workshops, with educational handouts available in English and Spanish.

There are also several workshops and exhibits to drift through. Erica Sanchez leads a corona workshop, and Karla from Bubbles and Buttercream gives a Pan de Muerto cooking demonstration. Teaching artist Laura Yohualtlahuiz runs a sawdust dyeing workshop. The Las Piñatas ATX art installations have been part of the event since 2015, created by Latinos in Architecture to promote diversity and inclusivity within the profession. And there's Land of the Free, Home of the Brave, a portrait series of local veterans spanning 1776 to 2026 by Franklin Mendez, an Austin-born Marine Corps and Vietnam veteran and master painter.

Admission is free. Since it's a long afternoon, you're encouraged to bring folding chairs, strollers, and refillable water bottles. The MACC is at 600 River St., Austin, TX 78701.