Downtown Aurora is gearing up for a Día de Muertos celebration on Saturday, Oct. 24. The event is set to feature live music, folklórico performances and a Catrina fashion show.
Planned features include live music, folklórico performances and a Catrina fashion show.
A Full Evening of Dance, Music and Remembrance
The event is set to feature folklórico performances and live music.
A Catrina fashion show is also part of the celebration.
Part of a Longstanding Downtown Tradition
Downtown Aurora has leaned into Día de los Muertos programming for years. Aurora's First Fridays events have repeatedly folded in Día de los Muertos activities across multiple downtown spots, including cultural activities, traditional food, live music and performances, according to Our Community Now.
The city's Day of the Dead programming has also stretched well beyond a single afternoon in past years. Sugar Skull City was described as a three-week celebration running through Nov. 5, with walking tours, restaurant specials, a festival and a scavenger hunt woven throughout downtown, per Patch. That iteration drew roughly 40 participating businesses, with dozens of downtown storefronts painted by local artists and decorated with festive displays, and butterfly art from more than a dozen local artists, community members and students displayed in 20 downtown windows, according to the same report.
A 2022 First Fridays celebration similarly folded Day of the Dead programming into Sugar Skull City, offering about 30 downtown activities for all ages, many themed around the holiday, Fox Valley Magazine reported. That event featured pan de muerto, catrinas, body painting, face painting and artisans from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m., per the outlet. The tradition traces back further still — a 2016 filing showed Athziry Día de Muertos requesting permission to stage a Day of the Dead event on Benton Avenue between Stolp Avenue and River Street, according to the Will County Gazette.
Downtown Aurora has hosted public Día de Muertos gatherings. This year's celebration is family-friendly.
