If you want to celebrate the colorful holiday of Día de los Muertos, the altars commemorating deceased loved ones, known as ofrendas, are popping up at cultural institutions and community centers around the D.C. area. Here’s where you can see folk dances and mariachi bands, learn to make paper marigolds or see a parade of catrinas, the fancy painted skeletons that have become a symbol of Día de los Muertos.
Altar del Día de Los Muertos and Celebration at Meadowside Nature Center
Starting Oct. 28, Meadowside Nature Center in Rockville is hosting an altar where visitors can leave meaningful objects that remind them of loved ones, such as photos, artwork, nonperishable food and flowers and plants. Everyone is invited back Oct. 31 for a community celebration from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. that includes themed art activities. Oct. 28-31. Free, register online.
Día de los Muertos at the National Museum of the American Indian
Learn how to make sweet, orange-infused pan de muerto, or bread of the dead, at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian’s festivities. Visitors can also watch folk dances from Grupo los Tecuanes, make tissue paper marigolds and write messages on the museum’s Butterfly Memorial Arch. Oct. 31 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free.
‘Coco’ live-to-film concert at the Music Center at Strathmore
The 20-member Orquesta Folclórica Nacional de México performs the Oscar-winning score from “Coco” — the 2017 Pixar animated film inspired by the holiday — as the movie plays on the big screen. Before you watch this imaginative cartoon set in the Land of the Dead, go shopping at a “Recuerdos” art market organized by Strathmore and the Montgomery County Hispanic Chamber of Commerce. The market, stocked with handcrafted goods from local businesses and artisans, is open from 2 to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday and 12:30 to 2 p.m. on Sunday, running for an extra hour after each show. (Kids are also invited to wear a costume on Halloween, and pick up a souvenir trick-or-treat bag on the way home). Oct. 31 at 3:30 p.m. and Nov. 1 at 2 p.m. $28-$78.
El Día de los Muertos Festival at the National Portrait Gallery
This Día de los Muerto party, held in the National Portrait Gallery’s Kogod Courtyard, is one of the museum’s biggest events of the year. Expect live music and Mexican folk dancers performing in the Portrait Gallery’s covered Kogod courtyard, as well as interactive elements, such as workshops where you can learn how to make papel picado (tissue paper banners). The party spills out to the street, as artists MasPaz and Guache project videos onto the building’s facade from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Nov. 1 from 5 to 8:30 p.m. Free, online registration encouraged.
Día de los Muertos at the Wharf
From face painting and sugar skull decorating to a beer garden from Modelo, there are activities for all ages at the Wharf’s Día de los Muertos party. Visitors are encouraged to dress colorfully or even in glow-in-the-dark clothes to shine in the event’s community light procession. As the sun sets, pick up an LED candle and join in the walk along the waterfront. Nov. 1 from 3 to 6 p.m. Free, online RSVP encouraged.
Día de los Muertos evening picnic at MoCA Arlington
The lawn at the Museum of Contemporary Art Arlington is the center of the action for a Día de los Muertos picnic, complete with performances such as poetry readings, folklórico dance from Los Quetzales and music from Mariachi Estrella. Pick up tacos and tortas from Arlington food trucks and enjoy family-friendly activities (including a catrina parade, loteria games and calavera mask decorations). The museum is going to be decked out with an altar designed by artist David Amoroso, and the galleries are staying open late for the occasion. Nov. 1 from 5 to 8 p.m. Free, reserve tickets online.
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