Penn Museum Hosts Daylong Dia de los Muertos Festival

Penn Museum hosts its 15th annual CultureFest! Dia de los Muertos celebration on Saturday, October 24, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

The full-day festival is presented in partnership with the Mexican Cultural Center and is included with museum admission, according to the museum. Admission is $23 for adults, $21 for seniors, and $14 for youth ages 6 to 17 and college students. Children 5 and under, Penn students and faculty with ID, and museum members enter free, according to PhillyVoice.

The centerpiece is a large-scale ofrenda titled When Spirits Dance: A Tribute to Amalia Hernandez, created by Pamela Plata and Juanita Aguilar to honor the Mexican choreographer and founder of Ballet Folklorico de Mexico.

The festival lineup includes music by Esmeralda LaCor, a performance by Danza Tonantzin, and bilingual storytelling sessions titled La Catrina Monarca: El Vuelo Sagrado de las Almas. An altar competition, an artisan market, and family activities fill out the day.

At 3:15 p.m., attendees can sample pan de muerto, the traditional sweet bread of the holiday, with Mexican hot chocolate. Winners of the Community Altar Contest are announced at 3:30 p.m., followed by a Family Adventures gallery activity.

Dia de los Muertos blends Indigenous Mexican beliefs and traditions with the Catholic celebrations of All Saints’ Day and All Souls’ Day, with roots in rituals dating back 3,000 years to pre-Columbian Mesoamerica, according to the museum. Families honor loved ones who have died through ofrendas, food, flowers, and photographs.

Penn Museum is at 3260 South Street. NBC10 is the media sponsor of the event.