This content was originally published by the Longmont Observer and is licensed under a Creative Commons license.
The Catrina Ball commemorates Día de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead, a widely observed holiday in Mexico and other Latin countries. It is a time when the living remember and honor departed relatives. But rather than doing so in a gloomy manner, as the name may suggest, the Day of the Dead is a time of festive celebration.
The name, Catrina Ball, refers to the Calavera Catrina – a sort of female, skeletal version of the Grim Reaper. Her image was created by Mexican illustrator José Guadalupe Posada around 1910 and remains a central figure in Mexico’s cultural identity.
Attendees are encouraged to come dressed as Catrinas – with fancy clothes and faces painted like skulls. The Dickens Opera House will be decorated with candles, marigolds and papel-picado and features food and drink specials, Azteca dancers, Folklorico dancers, live music by Radio Ole DJ Chi Chi Ledesma, & a Catrina painting auction. In addition, special appetizers brought to you by Jefe’s Taco & Tequila are included in your tickets. Tickets can be purchased online for $10 here.
In addition to the Catrina Ball, Día de los Muertos revelers will gather for a fiesta on 4th Avenue between Coffman & Main Street at 5 p.m. for downtown altar tours, face painting by Montage Academy, memorial urns, interactive noise makers with Intercambio Uniting Communities, an angel-wing making station with TinkerMill and much more!
Everyone is invited to put on their Catrina/Catrin face, gather noisemakers and join the larger than life Gigante paper mache puppets & musicians for the Gigante Procession to the Catrina Ball!
Longmont is home to the largest Día de los Muertos celebration in the state of Colorado. The Longmont Museum & Cultural Center’s 18th Annual Day of the Dead exhibit is open October 12 through November 6. Their popular Family Celebration will be held the day after the Catrina Ball, Saturday, Nov. 3 from 11 a.m. - 3 p.m. This free event will offer live music and dancing, sugar skull decorating, traditional food, community altars, paper flower making, face painting and much more. Find out more about the Museum’s Day of the Dead programming here.
For more information about the Catrina Ball, the Gigantes Fiesta & Procession and other special events please click here.
The mission of the Firehouse Art Center is to promote cultural awareness of the arts in the community by: diverse educational programs, events and curation of local, regional and national exhibits. For more information about this and upcoming exhibits, events and programs, please visit firehouseart.org.
The historic Firehouse Art Center building was built in 1907 and served as a fire station until 1971. The Firehouse Art Center has been located there since 1987.Source: Visit Longmont. Website: https://www.visitlongmont.org/
