RIVIERA MAYA: Day of the Dead festival set to rise

With more than 50,000 visitors expected to attend a Day of the Dead festival in Mexico this year, Grupo Xcaret is advising visitors to pre-book their tickets for the much-anticipated celebration in the Riviera Maya. The 16th annual “Festival of Live & Death Traditions” will take place Oct. 30 to Nov. 2, culminating on Mexico’s Day of the Dead (Nov. 2), a pre-Hispanic tradition that even today demonstrates Mexico’s cultural richness and which has been recognized as a Cultural Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO since 2008.

The festival will take place at Xcaret Park, Hotel Xcaret Mexico, Hotel Xcaret Arte, and at the City Theatre in Playa del Carmen, featuring a line-up of family-friendly activities that includes culinary experiences, workshops, altars, murals, concerts, puppet shows, and theatrical presentations created by local artists, Mexican talent, and special guests.

The full program will be available in the official event website – festivaldevidaymuerte.com/en/ – with general tickets sales starting Oct. 1.

Below is a list of some of this year’s highlights:

Xcaret Park

• This year’s guest of honor is Tlaxcala, a state considered the birthplace of the nation which will share the richness of its gastronomy, crafts, textiles, and dances.
• Musical performances such as: “Yuhmu Voices of Ixtenco” by the Otomí of Tlaxcala Children’s Choir.
• Exhibitions by artists Ignacio Nezahualcóyotl and Malena Díaz
• Theatre – “Canek, Legend of a Mayan Hero” by the Luna Morena Company; “The skeleton took me away” by Scenic Magic; and “Death and Corn” by Erik de Luna
• Concerts – Astrid Hadad and her show “Living by Dying,” and Ernesto Anaya’s “Skeletons, sounds, dead people and traditions”
• International artists – The countertenor Asael Cuesta of Colombia and the theatre company “The Baldufa” of Spain.
• Local culture and artists and arts groups
• The interactive Hacienda will offer a variety of workshops including learning how to make skulls, embroidery, traditional desserts, write like in pre-Hispanic times or assemble an altar
• The return of the gala concert at the great Tlachco that will have everyone dancing to a fusion of rhythms such as danzón, mambo, cha cha cha and cumbia along with rock, ska and other traditional influences from Mexican music.

Hotel Xcaret Mexico

• Ha’ restaurant – Homage to the Tlaxcala gastronomy by Chef Francisco Molina of “Evoka” restaurant, known for adding cultural value to traditional dishes.
• Mercado de la Merced – Traditional cuisine by Doña Elvia Contreras Becerra, originally from the Nanacamilpa municipality, who belongs to the group of cooks Cocineras Manos de Mayahuel of Tlaxcala.
• Las Cuevas – Traditional dishes inspired by the cook of the Mayan region Rosalinda Maay Poot.

Hotel Xcaret Arte

• Kibi Kibi – Curated menu by Chef Iván Fernando del Razo of “Mexko” restaurant who uses a combination of traditional, contemporary and research techniques to showcase the gastronomic and cultural richness of Tlaxcala.
• Cantina VI.AI.PY – Tlaxcalteca cuisine by Chef Andy Salazar López of “Tequexquite” restaurant.

First published at Travel Industry Today