Arlington Arts Center Hosts 'Day of the Dead' Celebration

The annual Day of the Dead celebration at the Arlington Arts Center is expected to draw hundreds this evening for the traditional Mexican holiday honoring the memory of relatives who have died.

“It’s quite an established event for the Latin community,” said Penelope Nunes, director of education at the Arlington Arts Center.

The event is now in its eighth year and typically draws 250 people, Nunes said. It is in the culmination of the three-day holiday where Mexican families traditionally prepare special foods, adorn graves with marigolds, and decorate skull shapes made of sugar.

This evening’s celebration at the center kicks off at 6 p.m. with a traditional Aztec dance and a dance lesson for the community. The center is also hosting a mariachi band, and will be serving “pan de los muertos,” or “bread of the dead” and hot chocolate, both traditional foods.

“It’s an offering for the dead meant for the ancestors,” Nunes said.

They also have two altars set up for Mexican icons El Santo (the Saint), who was a luchador, or wrestler, and singer Chavela Vargas.

The event is put on by the Arlington Arts Center in partnership with the Arlington Sister City Association’s Coyoacán Committee.

The event is free and open to the public. It takes place from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Arts Center at 3550 Wilson Blvd. An RSVP is required. Register by visiting arlingtonartscenter.org.

Other Day of the Dead Celebrations:

• Fuego Cocina Y Tequileria is also hosting a Day of the Dead celebration.
• Learn more about the Day of the Dead