How to Host a Día de Muertos Themed Party (Day of the Dead)

The Inspiration for a Día de los Muertos Party

Día de los Muertos is a beautiful tradition that begins at midnight the night of October 31^st and lasts through November 2^nd. While we formally remember and celebrate passed loved ones during this time, a Día de los Muertos party is also a wonderful way to honor this holiday! Its vivid colours and plentiful decorations create a happy and festive atmosphere. We’ll cover the basic food staples to share, how to create the atmosphere, and other key party planning preparations.

An important note: while calaveras (skulls) and skeletons are all fun and playful, it’s important to differentiate this holiday from Halloween-related topics since its timing coincides with Halloween. Día de los Muertos specifically honors our dead family and friends. While most people understand this, be careful to differentiate between Halloween’s skeleton aesthetic (spooky and secular symbol) and Día de los Muertos’ calavera (light-hearted and sacred symbol of actual people we knew who have died).

A Día de los Muertos party isn’t to be confused with the traditional practices of visiting graves and setting up altares (altars) with ofrendas (offerings). It is just a party. But what makes it special is that it’s a party in the spirit of Día de los Muertos, where we celebrate the beauty of life and death instead of mourning it. We choose to embrace the joy and celebration of life in the midst of death. And that’s a solid reason to party!

How to Throw a Día de los Muertos party

1. Create the Scene with Día de los Muertos Party Decorations

The easiest and number one party decoration you want is papel picado (cut-paper designs). It’s light, easy to pack or unpack, and you can display it almost anywhere. String papel picado strands across your walls, doorways and windows, and your home is instantly decorated for a Día de los Muertos party. Cempasúchils (Mexican marigolds), also called flor de muertos (flower of the dead), are a beautiful adornment that perfectly complement papel picado and bring life to any space. If you can get fresh-cut or potted marigolds, you will enjoy their beauty long beyond the party.

For a magical, peaceful ambiance, light as many candles as you can reasonably (and safely) manage. They will cast a lovely glow and pay homage to the spirit of Día de los Muertos. Papel picado, cempasúchils and candles will easily create a Día de los Muertos vibe. But the most universally recognizable symbol is the calavera (skull) and skeleton. Adorning your home with sugar skulls will complete your decorations.

Party decorating can be as expensive or inexpensive as you are comfortable with. However lavish you get, make sure you consciously and sustainably spend in order to protect your wallet. There are lots of fun decorations and things you can acquire – including inexpensive ones – that perfectly set the scene. You can also opt to DIY party decor. You can paint your own sugar skulls, and even make it a party activity for others to enjoy! Here are a few decorations, including some DIY crafts, to get you started:

• Papel picado
• DIY sugar skulls
• Cempasúchil decor

2. Prepare Día de los Muertos Food and Beverages

Delicious arrays of food are one of the primary ways to celebrate Día de los Muertos, so make yours count! But since refreshments are often the biggest expense, be sure to spend consciously to stay within your budget. You could request that guests bring a dish to share. Most people are happy to contribute (see 6. Guest Participation). Just be aware of any invited guests’ dietary restrictions to provide at least one or two decent food/drink options for them as well.

A must-have for a Día de los Muertos party is pan de muertos, or bread of the dead. It’s a sweet roll that, upon baking, will also provide a delicious aroma to greet guests (see 4. Evocative Scents)! The premier drink to serve is atole, a sweet masa-based hot drink with cinnamon and vanilla. Serve these two staples alongside any other delicious and filling foods and you have a party spread! Here are some holiday-inspired recipes to get you started:

• Dia de los Muertos Hummus Dip
• Marigold Muerte Cocktail
• Colourful Día de Muertos Sugar Cookies
• Pan de Muertos
• Mexican Atole

3. Set a Día de los Muertos Ambience with a Festive Playlist or Video

Music is another primary way to celebrate Día de los Muertos, so be sure to plan a festive feast for the ears! Amp up the party with this delightfully fun Día de los Muertos playlist, or show an enticing background music video with this thematic Land of the Dead Coco Music & Ambience.

4. Add Evocative Scents

To truly immerse your guests in a theme, think of ways to engage all of the senses – including the evocative sense of smell. Some relevant scents include cinnamon, vanilla, and cempasúchil. You can plan to bake your pan de muertos so that it finishes just before guests arrive and fills your home with a warm and welcoming aroma. Or you can light these enticingly scented candles:

• Día de los Muertos sugar skull candle in cinnamon stick or vanilla
• Mexican churro candle (cinnamon sugar donut smell)
• Día de los muertos flan-scented candle

5. Plan Día de los Muertos Games or Activities

Time to gather any friends who can rock a Spanish guitar! Everyone enjoys getting together to play or listen to live music. If you know anyone musical who would enjoy playing at your party, your Día de los Muertos party is a great opportunity for them to share their skills and have a good time!

An activity for fun (and meaningful) Día de los Muertos-inspired conversation fodder, have each guest go around and share what they would like on their own altares. This is a great way to get to know everyone’s personalities and likes. You will certainly learn something new!

A fun and artistic activity you can offer is face painting. If you or anyone you know is a decent painter or makeup artist, invite guests to get their faces decorated like sugar skulls!

6. Establish Guest Participation

Always choose your guests mindfully, and definitely reach out to anyone who could help make your Día de los Muertos party extra fun with music or face painting! As the host, remember to lead your party as the #1 participator. If you encourage face painting, you’ll best promote it by painting your own! And if you are having others contribute food, be sure to provide at least one large dish that is both tasty and filling (just in case others end up bringing things that are less tasty or less filling).

Checklist of Items You Need

This is a list of all of the physical things you need for this party:

1. Día de los Muertos party decorations: Papel picado, DIY sugar skulls, and cempasúchil decor
2. Pan de muertos, atole, and other foods and beverages
3. Music playlist and speakers, and maybe also a screen for musical ambiance video
4. Deliciously scented Día de los muertos candle
5. Any friends you know who can play music traditional to Día de los Muertos festivities (and their instruments!)
6. Any friends you know who can paint guests’ faces, along with face paints and brushes/sponges

Checklist of Preparations for Your Día de los Muertos Party

1. First, establish that your efforts aren’t in vain by confirming that people can come on any chosen date:

1. Choose party date/time, and preferably alternative date(s) as well. As close to November 1^st or 2^nd is ideal, but keep in mind other guests’ plans for celebrating the holiday during this time.
2. Choose guest list and establish minimum number of guests you’d like (to make it worth your effort).
3. Six weeks out, confirm guests’ interest in the party and availability on chosen party date(s). This is also when you can request any musical or artistic friends join to share their skills.
4. If your preferred minimum number of guests confirm interest and availability, have them secure calendar date for your awesome party!

2. Then, proceed with the fun planning!

1. Schedule time on your calendar for each step of party prep (securing and/or making food/drinks, etc.)
2. Create invitations with all of the details and send them out 4 weeks before the party
3. Order any party supplies and decorations 3 weeks out (so they arrive in time to prepare and set up)
4. Shop for any party supplies/decorations you don’t order online, as well as non-perishable food/drinks
5. In your planned time slots, DIY any decorations
6. In your planned time slots, acquire perishable food/drinks early enough in advance to prepare in time
7. In your planned time slots, put up decorations
8. In your planned time slots, prepare food/drinks (depending on how long things keep)

3. Day of Party (in your amply planned time slot):

1. Complete any last-minute food/drink prep that can’t be done in advance
2. Set up any quick/easy last-minute supplies and decorations
3. Prepare ambience (audio/visual, candles/scents)
4. Get dressed and, if you are the face painter or if your face painter friend is already there, have your face painted with plenty of time!
5. Once everything’s ready, meditate or do whatever you need to do to get in a good head space if you aren’t already: relaxed, energized, and excited! You will be happier, and guests will pick up on your contagiously good vibe and automatically be happier as well – everybody’s best interest!

With some forethought, planning and focused efforts (all of which should be fun!), you are now ready to throw an awesome and festive Día de los Muertos Party!