Festival de las Calaveras

$1,825 Raised

  • 3 Donors
  • 4 Donations

18% complete

$10,000 Goal

Festival de las Calaveras: 

Twin Cities Dia de los Muertos Celebration

www.festivalcalaveras.com


About Festival de las Calaveras

Since 2013, Festival de las Calaveras has been a volunteer-led Latino music and arts festival rooted in the cultural traditions and contemporary expressions of Día de los Muertos. Founded by Tlalnepantla Arts, a grassroots community arts organization, the festival is now evolving under a bold new identity as Caracol Latino Performing Arts—Minnesota’s emerging multidisciplinary Latino arts center.

The festival celebrates and uplifts Latino, Latina, and Latinx artists, culture, and community through music, art, and meaningful cultural expression. We embrace both ancestral and modern interpretations of Día de los Muertos, reflecting the dynamic spirit of our communities.

 

What We Do

Festival de las Calaveras is more than a single event—it’s a series of multidisciplinary celebrations that take place each fall, featuring:

  • Live music across genres
  • Dance performances rooted in tradition and innovation
  • Puppet theater and multimedia animation
  • Visual arts exhibitions and spoken word
  • Family-friendly art-making activities


These events highlight Latino, Latina, and Latinx excellence across artistic disciplines and are hosted at leading venues across the Twin Cities, creating and claiming space for Latino artistry and cultural presence.

 

Our Goals

Festival de las Calaveras honors Día de los Muertos within the Latino community, celebrating the diversity of cultural, generational, gender, educational, and economic identities.

Though not all share the same ancestral traditions, the festival invites everyone to recognize shared roots and common values. It also welcomes other cultural communities and allies to celebrate the remembrance of their own ancestors through the lens of Latino artistic expression and the Day of the Dead tradition.

Through art, performance, and reflection, the festival creates a space for connection, healing, and affirmation—inviting all to honor those who came before us.

 

Our Roots

The festival began as an extension of the Zenteotl Project, a cultural initiative of Tlalnepantla Arts (2009–2017) that wove together Mexica (Aztec) dance, visual art, and urban agriculture in South Minneapolis. The project centered around a community garden where organic blue corn was ceremonially planted and harvested.

In 2013, the first Festival de las Calaveras was created to honor this work and featured a Día de los Muertos ofrenda (altar) built on the same land where the corn was grown. Planted as a seed of local remembrance and cultural expression, the festival has grown into a powerful platform—connecting artists, families, and communities across generations.

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