The Waukegan Park District and Sugar Skulls Xilotl are partnering to celebrate Día de Muertos (Day of the Dead) with sugar skull decorating workshops and a community celebration at the Jack Benny Center for the Arts, located at 39 Jack Benny Drive in Bowen Park. With origins in Mexico and celebrated throughout Latin America, Día de Muertos is a celebration of the lives of the deceased. 

For Día de Muertos, families create ofrendas (offerings) to honor their family members that have passed away. These altars are decorated with bright marigolds, calaveras de azucar (sugar skulls), photos, foods, drinks, and items cherished by the departed loved ones. Día de Muertos is not “Mexican Halloween” like it is sometimes mistaken for because of the time of the year.

Sugar skull decorating workshops will be facilitated by Sugar Skulls Xilotl on Saturday, October 7, 2023 and Saturday, October 14, 2023 from 10am to 12pm at the Jack Benny Center for the Arts. Preregistration is required to participate in the free sugar skull decorating workshops.

The commemoration of Día de Muertos will close with a free community celebration on Saturday, October 21, 2023 from 1pm to 4pm at the Jack Benny Center for the Arts. The event will feature pan de muerto (bread of the dead), altar exhibits, art and food vendors, music and dance performances, and sugar skull decorating workshops.