***Update from Xcaret Park : The upcoming Vida y Muerte festival will be held only on Nov. 1 and 2 due to the passing of Hurricane Rina through Playa del Carmen. All tickets and courtesy passes will be honored on those days. 

During the 6th annual Festival de Vida y Muerte (Festival of Life and Death Traditions), small souls will come to visit to show us a beautiful collage of rituals, offerings, wake games, theater productions, dance, music, visual arts, and much more, so we can come to understand the “Child Death Ritual”, in an exciting journey through the history and traditions of Mexico.

Festival Vida y Muerte Xcaret 2011Tabasco will be the featured state this year and will bring a delegation of over 100 participants to show us and share their offerings, dances, music, folklore, theater, stories and delicious food in honor of the dearly departed.

Our hearts will dance to the beat of traditional music, and the scent of the hot earth from the piib will invite us to savor the traditional cuisine of the region. Three famous Mexican women – Sor (Sister) Juana Inés de la Cruz, Frida Kahlo and Rosario Castellanos – will be present through a masterful rendition by actress Ofelia Medina in “Mexican Voices” , and, attendees will also be able to enjoy “The Child Death, a ritual poem” , a magnificent gala concert directed and composed by Jesús Echevarría, accompanied by the Carlos Chávez quartet and world class guest musicians.

A wide spectrum of music from Veracruz, huasteco, melodies from Michoacán, Chilean rhythms, Tabasco drums and folk guitars will also contribute a cheerful beat to the party and bring young and old to their feet to dance, while Jaramar´s extraordinary voice, accompanied by greatly experienced musicians, will bring us the gift of her song in a special concert.

Plays, dancing, painting, sculpture and chocolate exhibits; visits to the cemetery, visual arts, a ball game, pre-Hispanic dances, clown theater, a children’s and young people’s pavilion, and many artists and exhibitors, will be awaiting with a great variety of activities during four days of celebration.

Festival Vida y Muerte Xcaret 2011 

Come take part in this most anticipated festival on October 30th and 31st and November 1st and 2nd, starting at 4:00 pm, and enjoy the smells, colors, textures, sounds and flavors that we will share with our little angels and our dearly departed at Xcaret.

Visit the official event website for more details about this year's exhibits and ticketing information.