Day of the Dead is a celebration that serves as a moment of remembrance and reflection and a ritual highlighting the importance of memory and the dead. In 2008, UNESCO inscribed this tradition in the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity, consolidating its place as Mexico's most representative festivity.

Centro Cultural Tijuana (CECUT) is ready to commemorate this emblematic date with its Day of the Dead Festival. With 20 activities for the whole family, the festival will take place from Wednesday, October 30, to Sunday, November 3. It will be days full of dance, music, theater, and gastronomy.

This is the perfect opportunity for tourists and foreigners to learn all about the cultural breadth of this Mexican celebration, given the city’s strategic location and proximity to the San Ysidro port of entry and California.

Attendees can enjoy artistic performances, buy altar items, and try free gastronomic samples, including the traditional pan de muerto (bread of the dead) and flavored milk for the whole family.

Guinness World Record for most giant bread mosaic in the world to be broken at CECUT

One of this traditional celebration's most important and emblematic elements is the delicious and classic pan de muerto.

Due to this, Centro Cultural Tijuana will be the stage of an ambitious endeavor: 670 Gastronomy students from Universidad Vizcaya de las Américas will attempt to make the largest mosaic bread in the world. To set a Guinness World Record, 42,000 bread of the dead pieces will be used.

Three Universidad Vizcaya de las Américas campuses, located in Tijuana, Ensenada, and Mexicali, will collaborate to break the 206.44 square meter record. Their goal is to exceed 400 square meters.

This must-see activity will begin at 5 PM on Saturday, November 2, at the CECUT terrace. Attendees can enjoy the fantastic monument and then eat the exquisite bread of the dead with flavored milk. It is also free!

In addition, 25,600 bread pieces will be sent over to shelters, retirement homes, and children's homes through the "Tijuana Sin Hambre" association.

Calacas: A tribute to José Guadalupe Posada

Though this festival will take place from November 1 to November 3, we recommend experiencing the play "Calacas" yourself. This is a musical show that pays tribute to José Guadalupe Posada, famous for his iconic skulls and calaveras.

Directed by Raquel Presa and presented by the Entremares Teatro company, this experience will be full of singing, humor, and tradition.

The play will take place at the CECUT showroom on Wednesday, October 30, at 7 PM. Admission is $100 pesos, and tickets can be purchased on-site or online at https://www.taquillacecut.mx/.

What to expect at the CECUT Day of the Dead Festival?

Admission to CECUT's Day of the Dead Festival is free. It will take place at the CECUT terrace from November 1 to November 3 from 12 PM to 8 PM.

During these three days, visitors will enjoy a festive space combining art, culture, and gastronomy with a cultural program you cannot miss!

Friday, November 1

Friday, November 1, will start with "Frida y Diego en el país de las Calaveras" at 4 PM, a piece that promises to take attendees on a journey to the great beyond.

The documentary "Luto", a film that explores themes of death and remembrance, by Andrés Arochi, will be screened at 4 PM in the Carlos Monsiváis room.

At 5 PM, the Folkloric Dance Group Tepochtli from CBTIS 155 will perform representative dances from different Mexican regions, including “La Bruja y la Llorona,” “Cuetlachtli,” and “Tepochtli,” among others.

Lastly, a Catrina Catwalk will begin at the IMAX Dome steps at 6 PM. During this event, creative designs by the students of the Faculty of Design and Manufacturing from Universidad UNID will be featured.

Saturday, November 2

Celebrations will continue on Saturday, November 2, with a "Starlight Magic" performance by The Dance Institute Tijuana at 12 PM.

"El lugar de los Descarnados", a story about what awaits us in the afterlife, and "La Murga Morada", a musical theater show full of biting social critique and humor, will occur at 2 PM and 3 PM, respectively.

Plus, the "Doña Juana del Cerro Colorado" interactive activity is set to begin at 4 PM. During this event, children will be able to experience narrated stories and local legends up close.

The documentary "Luto" will also be screened at 4 PM in the Carlos Monsiváis Room.

One of the most anticipated activities, making the world's giant bread of the dead with more than 42,000 pieces by students of Universidad Vizcaya de las Américas, will begin at 5 PM.

At 6 PM, a musical performance of traditional Mixtec music by Banda Yanuumei from the San Andrés Montaña community will take place. At the same time, a Folkloric Yoltetik Dance, with dancers from Chiapas and Campeche, is set to take place at 7 PM.

Sunday, November 3

The Day of the Dead festival will conclude on Sunday, November 3, with a diverse program that will begin at 1 PM with a performance by Banda Yanuumei and will continue with the interactive "Doña Juana del cerro colorado" experience at 2 PM.

The expo "El danzón nunca muere" by the CECUT Danzón Workshop and directed by Lorena Villaseñor and Francisco Guerrero will begin at 3 PM.

In addition, attendees can experience "El lugar de los Descarnados" at 4 PM. This tale is about the possible places we could go after we die, which are determined by the way we close our eyes for the very last time.

At 5:30 PM, an excellent tango performance by Sin Fronteras - Tijuana Tango and Martín de León is set to begin.

Ballet Folklórico Cardones will perform at 6 PM with a distinguished selection of dances from different Mexican regions. This program includes Picotas from Tamaulipas, the emblematic Danza de los Viejitos from Michoacán, and colorful dances from Veracruz, Sinaloa, Durango, and Puebla.

The grand finale will be a version of cinema at the terrace. Children will get to see the animated movie "La Leyenda de la Nahuala", a Mexican film set in the New Spain era.

The story is based on the legend of Nahuala, a witch who took over the spirits of two girls and is looking for a third one during the Day of the Dead. If she achieves her goal, she will have enough power to eliminate the city's inhabitants.

If you wish to experience this movie outdoors, it will be screened on Sunday, November 3, at 7:30 PM at the CECUT terrace.

To learn more about this and other events, visit the official social media pages of Centro Cultural Tijuana, where new activities, some of them free and family-friendly, are constantly shared.

Facebook: @cecut.mx
Instagram: @cecut_mx
Website: https://www.cecut.gob.mx/

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