It began five years ago as a small group of people gathering together to honor their ancestors and celebrate Mexico's heritage. Today, the Longmont Museum's El Día de los Muertos festival attracts more than 800 people.

El Día de los Muertos is an important ritual in Mexican and Latin American culture. November 2, All Souls Day, is traditionally believed to be the day that the dead return for a visit. Loved ones prepare for the occasion by cooking traditional food, including chicken molé, tamales, rice and beans, and pan (bread) de los muertos. Families also set up altars to their ancestors upon which are placed offerings such as the loved one’s favorite foods, drinks and hobby items.

The Longmont Museum began its festival five years ago with a modest half-day workshop. The next year, the Museum moved into a new building, allowing the expansion of the event into a full festival. With the aid of numerous community partners, by the third year the festival filled the spacious halls of the new Museum. Each year since, the festival has grown larger, adding new partners and more events.

“We started doing the Day of the Dead at the Museum as part of a program to connect more with the Latino community, which has traditionally not accessed Museum services. The program has been very successful in enabling us to make connections. We have received positive feedback from both Latinos and Anglos; the former saying they now feel welcome at the Museum, the latter pleased to have the opportunity to learn about the traditions of a Mexican celebration”  said director Martha Clevenger about the importance of the festival to the Longmont Museum.

In addition to the annual one-day celebration, this year the Museum also will host the first exhibition of community altars ever held in Longmont. La Ofrenda de los Muertos: Honoring Days of the Dead, from Saturday, October 22 through Saturday, November 13, will feature altars made by community members, along with an interactive altar, videos, photographs of the Day of the Dead festival in Oaxaca, Mexico, and other displays.
Altars are a central part of El Día de los Muertos. Created in memory of an individual or several family members, each altar is a very personal expression of the memory and honor of a loved one. Altars often include soap, a towel, and a bowl of water for the dead to refresh themselves; food for the dead; and sometimes a small dog, which the Aztecs believed help to guide the spirit on its journey.

The Museum and its community partners, Alternatives for Youth, Casa de la Esperanza, El Comité de Longmont, Longmont Sister Cities, Longmont Area Visitors Association, and the City of Longmont Community Relations, Library and Senior Services Divisions, invite everyone to celebrate The Day of the Dead and see the exhibit of altars on Saturday, October 29, from 11 am to 5 pm. Traditional food, Mexican stories, sugar skull decorating, skull face painting, singing, dancing, and more will entertain throughout the day. All ages are welcome, and admission is free.

In addition to the main festival day on October 29, six other programs take place in the weeks around Day of the Dead.
Volunteer sugar skull making at the Museum, October 23, 1-4 pm
Skull mask making at the Longmont Library, October 24, 6 - 8 pm 
Gallery talk at the Museum by photographer Helen Cuccaro, October 26, 6:30 – 8 pm
Faces We Loved: Honoring Our Ancestors for Day of the Dead, an exhibition of children’s art at the Longmont Library from October 21 to November 15
Incan and Aztec dances at the Longmont Senior Center on November 2, 6:30 to 8:30 pm. 
All events are free and open to the public. 

The Longmont Museum & Cultural Center is located at 400 Quail Road in Longmont, Colorado. It is open 9 am to 5 pm, Tuesday through Saturday, Wednesday evenings until 8 pm, 1 pm to 5 pm on Sundays, and closed Mondays. Admission is free. For more information, contact the Museum at 303 651-8374, or visit their website, http://www.ci.longmont.co.us/museum  For information in Spanish, call the City of Longmont Community & Neighborhood Resources, 303 651-8444.