The Connecticut Museum of Culture and History will hold its free Day of the Dead community celebration Saturday, Oct. 24, but visitors must reserve an entry block in advance.
The Hartford museum offers admission from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. or from 1:30 to 4 p.m. A ticket includes the museum and on-site activities. It does not guarantee a seat at a performance; those seats will be assigned when ticket holders arrive, while space lasts.
The program includes mariachi music, Mexican folk dance and arts activities indoors and outside. Performers listed by the museum include Mariachi Laureles del Monte, Ballet Folklórico Alma de México and Mariachi Son de mi Tierra.
Visitors can contribute photographs, small mementos or messages to a community ofrenda, an altar honoring people who have died. The museum warns that contributed objects will not be returned, so families should bring copies or items they can leave behind.
Admission is free, but food, goods and face painting cost extra. There is no ATM on site, and payment options vary among vendors.
The museum is at One Elizabeth St. Free parking is available at the museum and, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., designated UConn School of Law lots. The Classical Magnet High School lot is available only from 1 to 5 p.m. Reservation links and parking directions are on the museum's event page.
