WACO, Texas — Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is just around the corner, and Waco is gearing up for a spectacular celebration on Oct. 28th.
Day of the Dead is a time to honor those who have passed away, keeping their memories alive through joyful festivities.
Save the date and join the community as the third annual Día De Los Muertos Parade & Festival makes it's return to the heart of Downtown Waco.
The festivities kick off with a lively parade through the streets of Downtown Waco. As the sun sets, the celebration continues at Indian Spring Park, where the magic of Día de los Muertos truly comes to life.
"We want this to be an opportunity to bring together all sides of Waco," Eric Linares with Creative Waco said.
The parade will start at 4:00 p.m. and festivities will go on until 10:00 p.m.
Local artists will showcase their talents. Traditional Folklorico dancers and a collection of musical acts will perform.
The community will also have a chance to get their face painted with Catrina art.
Catrina face paint resembles a skeleton and is based on La Catrina.
History behind La Catrina:
The skeleton with the hat today came to life in the early 1900’s by artist José Guadalupe Posada.
Posada was a controversial and political cartoonist that was liked by the people and who drew and etched skeletons (calaveras) in a satirical way to remind people that they would all end up dead in the end.
It is said that he drew the dandy-looking female skeleton with a fancy feathered hat because some Mexicans had aspirations to look wealthy and aristocratic like the Europeans at that time.
A satirical drawing to remind people to be themselves and to stop trying to be something that they weren’t.
No matter how rich or poor you were, no matter the color of your skin, and no matter what society you belonged to, you would all end up skeletons.
This was Posada’s message with his many caricatures of cavaleras sketched doing various daily activities. One of his most popular sayings was “Death is democratic”. Simple, but so very true!
There will also be an artisan vendor market that will offer different handmade crafts and goods. For the foodies, local food trucks will be offering dishes that are inspired by Hispanic cuisine.
Sarahy Franco the owner of Waco's Glam Office will help paint peoples' faces this weekend.
"I feel like bringing this Dia De Los Muertos every year brings the culture back because it has been lost a little bit," Franco said.
Here's the schedule for the Saturday, October 28:
- Parade: 4:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.
- Vendor Market & Entertainment: 5:00 p.m. - 10:00 p.m.