The Museum of Kansas City is marking 13 years of its Día de los Muertos celebration with an evening of mariachi music, folklórico dance and community altars on Oct. 17, running from 5 to 9 p.m. The pay-what-you-wish event requires advance tickets, and organizers say it is built to honor the history and cultural traditions of Mexico's Day of the Dead while bringing the broader Kansas City community together.
A Night Built Around Tradition and Remembrance
According to the Museum of Kansas City, the celebration is presented in partnership with Mattie Rhodes Art Center, Stone Lion Puppet Theatre, La Mega KC, Kanbe's Markets and Una Familia Tequila. Guests can expect traditional dance performances from Grupo Folklórico Izcalli, and the museum notes that food will be available for purchase from local food trucks, with beverages supplied by Elixir on the Lawn. As KSHB 41 Kansas City reports, Día de los Muertos is an annual tradition observed across Latin America to honor loved ones who have passed, including pets, and this year's festival will also include live mariachi music from Mariachi Estrella, per Kansas City Magazine.
Puppetry is also part of the lineup, and the museum's listing describes complimentary children's face painting by artist Jessica Manco, Kathryn Messick and the Van Horn Art Department. The museum, located in Kansas City, Missouri, is asking guests who want to participate in the community altars, or ofrendas, to bring remembrance items for both indoor and outdoor displays — though the museum's site notes that anything left on the altars will not be returned.
Vendors, Tickets and the Pay-What-You-Wish Model
Local vendors will set up on the museum's east historic lawn, the museum's event page states, alongside the food trucks and Elixir on the Lawn's beverage service. Admission follows a pay-what-you-wish structure, meaning entry is required but attendees choose their own contribution amount, and advance tickets are required to attend.
The celebration's roots run deeper than the museum's own 13-year run. Mattie Rhodes has been, in the organization's own words, the heart of Día de los Muertos celebrations in Kansas City for more than two decades, according to Mattie Rhodes. The organization's broader programming includes a community-made altar exhibition, cultural workshops and tours, and related celebrations in the streets of the Westside neighborhood. Mattie Rhodes has also named the Kansas City Museum and Stonelion Puppets Theater among the institutions it has partnered with on past Día de los Muertos events.
Nelson-Atkins Plans Its Own Festival Weeks Later
The Museum of Kansas City's event is not the only Día de los Muertos gathering on the calendar this fall. The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art will host its own Día de los Muertos Festival on Nov. 1, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., with general admission to the museum and festival free, per the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. That festival will include folkloric dance performances, live music, artist demonstrations, artmaking activities and traditional cuisine.
The Nelson-Atkins event's centerpiece display, now in its 16th year, is a collaborative project involving the Mattie Rhodes Cultural Art Center, the Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City and Guadalupe Centers High School Impact Academy, along with local artists, organizations and students. Together, the two museum events reflect how deeply the holiday's traditions have taken root across Kansas City's cultural institutions, even as each festival carves out its own distinct format and date.
