Family Friendly Día de Muertos Events in NYC 2024
Día de Muertos, otherwise known as “The Day of the Dead,” is a cultural holiday known for honoring and celebrating ancestors and those we have lost. Check out the following list of family-friendly Día de Muertos events in NYC!
Manhattan
Día de Muertos Week: Family-Friendly Event
Capitol Plaza, 48 West 27th St., Flatiron District
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 12 – 3 pm
All Ages
Free
Head to the Capitol Plaza for a family-friendly Día de Muertos event.
Día de Muertos Celebration at Flatiron North Plaza
Flatiron North Plaza, 23rd Street at Fifth Ave., Flatiron District
Friday, Nov. 1, 3 – 7 pm
All Ages
Free
Celebrate Día de Muertos with a curated mix of Mexican folklore performances presented by Calpulli Mexican Dance Company, an interactive community altar presented in partnership and elaborated by Mano a Mano where attendees are invited to bring photos and small mementos in honor of their departed loved ones to place at the altar, receive your Día de Muertos face painting transformation by an on-site make-up artist presented by Flatiron NoMad Partnership, and decorate your own sugar skull (Calaverita de Azucar) to take home or to place on the altar.
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CMOM’s Día de Muertos Celebration
Children’s Museum of Manhattan, 212 West 83rd St., Upper West Side
Saturday, Nov. 2, 10 am – 5 pm
Ages 4 and under
Included with admission: $17
Help create an Altar de Memorias art installation, make flower crowns, sculpt sugar skulls inspired by Posada, and share memories of loved ones!
Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead)
National Museum of the American Indian New York, 1 Bowling Green, Financial District
Saturday, Nov. 2, 11 am – 5 pm
All Ages
Free
Día de los Muertos is a time for honoring our ancestors and remembering those we have lost. Learn about an ofrenda (altar) and take the opportunity to commemorate a loved one that has passed with a note or memento. Family-friendly activities include making paper marigolds and butterfly masks. New York-based Aztec dance group Cetiliztli Nauhcampa will present traditional dances around the community ofrenda to honor ancestors.
Super Sábado: Día de los Muertos Celebration
El Museo del Barrio, 1230 5th Ave., East Harlem
Saturday, Nov. 2, 1 – 6 pm
All ages
Free
RSVP online
Celebrate this vibrant tradition with a day full of cultural performances, art-making activities, face painting, a communal altar, and more! Enjoy the lively atmosphere as we honor our ancestors through music, dance, and community.
Bronx
Allerton Library, 2740 Barnes Ave., Allerton
Wednesday, Oct. 30, 4 – 5 pm
Ages 5 – 12
Free
Create skull crafts out of paper cups for Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.
Wave Hill, 4900 Independence Ave., Riverdale
Nov. 2-3, Saturday and Sunday, 10 am – 1 pm.
Ages 3 and up
$4-$10
Celebrate this special Mexican cultural holiday while exploring and creating nicho boxes, small shadow boxes filled with meaning and purpose that honor a lost loved one.
Family Time November 2024: Día de Muertos
The Bronx Museum, 1040 Grand Concourse, Morrisania
Saturday, Nov. 2, 1 – 3 pm
All Ages
Free
Families are welcome to create art that reconnects them with ancestors, with nature, and with cultural practices. The community is also invited to leave objects and photographs for the communal altar.
Brooklyn
Day of the Dead Family Celebration
Green-Wood Cemetery, 500 25th St., Greenwood Heights
Friday, Nov. 1, 4 – 7 pm
All Ages
Free
Discover the rich history and traditions associated with the holiday Día de los Muertos through family-friendly crafts, performances, music, activities, and food.
Brooklyn Children’s Museum, 145 Brooklyn Ave., Crown Heights
Saturday, Nov. 2, 10 am – 5 pm
Ages 12 and under
$15; free for members
Enjoy a day full of art-making, dance, music, and food, explore the artist marketplace, and contribute to the community ofrenda by sharing memories and stories of your loved ones.
Sunday Art: Día de los Muertos Celebration
Brooklyn Museum, 200 Eastern Pkwy., Prospect Heights
Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2 – 4 pm
All Ages
Included with admission: $14-$20; free admission for ages 19 and younger. Honor Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) with special art-making and a performance by the MAZarte Dance Company.
Queens
Langston Hughes Library, 100-01 Northern Boulevard, Corona
Friday, Oct. 25, 2 – 6 pm
All Ages
Free
Families are invited to gather to honor and remember their dead with a joyful and positive celebration. Create ofrendas (offerings), decorate an altar with flowers, and display photos of the departed. The group will share prayers and stories about those who are no longer with us to keep their memories alive. The kids will engage in various related craft activities.
Hands-on History: Día de Muertos
King Manor Museum, 150-03 Jamaica Ave., Jamaica
Saturday, Nov. 2, 1 – 4 pm
All ages
Free
Learn from artist Sebastian Ramirez-Halfpap to create your own Altar de Muerto and learn more about the traditions used to celebrate this holiday.
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Museum of the Moving Image, 36-01 35th Ave., Astoria
Saturday, Nov. 2, 4 – 6 pm
All Ages
$10-$20
Celebrate a vibrant Day of the Dead with a performance of Aztec Mexica dance, ofrendas, fun digital media activities for kids and families, and music from the Indigenous dance troupe Yayauhki Tezcatlipoka. There will also be a face-painting session inspired by historical characters from Día de Muertos. All are welcome to explore our public altar in the Museum’s courtyard, followed by a catrina and catrin contest hosted by artist historian Rosa Ruíz and Catrinamía.
Sugar Skull! A Día de Muertos Musical Adventure
Queens Theater, 14 United Nations Ave S., Corona
Sunday, Nov. 3, 1 pm & 4 pm.
All Ages
$20
This bilingual/bicultural musical uses traditional regional music and dance from Mexico to tell the story of twelve-year-old Vita Flores. Vita thinks her family has gone loco planning a celebration for deceased loved ones. Why throw a party for the dead? But when a spirited candy skeleton suddenly springs to life, Vita finds herself on a magical, musical journey to unravel the true meaning of Día de Muertos.
