Free Day of the Dead Celebration Maxwell Street Market
When: Sunday, October 31, 2021 10am–2pm
Where: Maxwell Street Market, 800 S. Desplaines St.
Día de los Muertos Celebration
The Day of the Dead commemoration is FREE family fun featuring traditional arts and crafts, pumpkin decorating, live music and more! The event will celebrate the Day of the Dead, a traditional Mexican holiday combining ancient Aztec customs of remembering ancestors during “All Soul’s Day.” Costumes are welcome.
Event Schedule:
10am–2pm Arts Activities (while supplies last)
- Sugar Skulls – Local artist Araceli Carrillo will guide participants in decorating sugar skulls or calaveras. These colorful skulls have become one of the most popular signifiers of Day of the Dead.
- Los Vicios de PapáMarigold Flower Making – Pilsen Arts & Community House will lead participants in making tissue paper flowers, a tradition element to add to your home altar.
- Family Portraits – Local artist William Estrada will capture special family moments and provide a free family portrait to commemorate the day.
- Free pumpkins to decorate and take home and more!
Live Music and Dance Performances
- 10-11am: Cielito Lindo As seen on Nickelodeon’s America’s Most Musical Family, WGN, Univision, and Chicago Tonight, Cielito Lindo is a modern Latino mariachi group formed by the Lucero family.
- 11–11:45am: Ballet Folklorico de Chicago Ballet Folklorico de Chicago is a non-profit Mexican folkloric dance organization providing cultural and dance instruction on the north side of Chicago.
- 12-2pm: Los Vicios De Papá is a high energy Latin Ska fusion band combining elements of cumbia and reggae which will get the crowd dancing.
Related
National Museum of Mexican Art Day of the Dead Chicago
History of Maxwell Street Market per the Chicago Public Library
- Chicago’s Maxwell Street Market s heyday was between the 1930s and the 1960s.
- Maxwell Street Market started within a few blocks on the Near West Side in a heavily immigrant neighborhood not far from Jane Addams’ settlement house around Maxwell and Union Streets.
- The Maxwell Street Market began around the 1870s, but it was not until 1912 that Chicago passed an ordinance making it an official public market.
- Located outside of the central business district, the market was free from the barriers that could deter would-be pushcart owners. Clientele was welcome from all walks of life and Maxwell Street quickly became a thriving produce and goods market.
- In the 1990s, the University of Illinois at Chicago expanded and ended the market. The city designated Canal Street as the market’s new location. The name of the market did not change after relocation.
