Fiesta de Día de Muertos

The Day of the Dead is one of the most important folk festivals in Mexico. According to ancient Mexican belief, on All Saints’ Day the dead return from the afterlife to visit and celebrate a heartfelt and joyful reunion with the living—complete with music, dance, and delicious food. Far beyond Mexico, this colorful and life-affirming festival is celebrated around the world, including in Berlin. Come join us! At the Mexican Day of the Dead Festival at the Humboldt Forum, you can look forward to a market offering authentic Mexican cuisine and handicrafts, a diverse children’s program, and an evening program featuring dance, theater, performance, and live music. At the heart of the celebrations is the central exhibition piece, the ofrenda: a 40-square-meter altar for the deceased that guests are invited to help create.

During the festivities, colonial and pre-Hispanic cultural traditions meet, with pre-Hispanic beliefs asserting themselves in subversive ways against Catholic traditions. The fusion that has emerged reflects both the tensions and the merging of two worlds. A visual and spiritual companion to the festival is the monarch butterfly, which migrates every year from Canada to Mexico to overwinter. A migrant that lives collectively, the butterfly is believed in Indigenous traditions to embody the soul of a deceased person. Its presence is linked to the themes of migration and family, which are particularly reflected in the theater production Stand By. Further focal points are racism and mestizaje (cultural mixing), both of which are deeply tied to the roots of the Day of the Dead and continue to resonate in many societies today.

The Humboldt Forum’s 2025/2026 annual theme is “Family Matters” The Mexican Day of the Dead, as an intergenerational celebration, engages children just as much as older people. In the weekend family program, children will present what belongs on an ofrenda and invite participants to create gifts in memory of their own departed loved ones.