Festival of Life and Death Traditions, 2018.

The Festival of Life and Death Traditions began in 2005 as a way to recover and honor the traditions of different Mexican communities through contemporary art expressions. The Festival aims to display the Day of the Dead Tradition, which has been considered part of the Intangible Cultural Heritage by UNESCO since 2008. This year, Xcaret will present the 13th Edition: "Festival of Life and Death Traditions: Almas de Plata (Souls of Silver)" with the state of Zacatecas as the special guest.

Year after year the festival offers a wide variety of cultural activities and artistic expressions, and this year is no exception. The 13th Edition with Zacatecas as its special guest will have:

•     Dance performances: Folkloric ballet, pre-Columbian and contemporary dance, traditional rituals and festive dances.
  

•     Theater: Circus, Clown, Puppets, narrated and regional theater from Yucatán, Quintana Roo, Zacatecas and artists from Quebec, Canada.

•     Music: authentic corridos of the Mexican revolution, Yucatecan and Zacatecan traditional songs, jaraberos (ancestors of the Mariachi), special guests from Colombia & percussion ensemble. And if that were not enough, there will be 3 Gala concerts at the Gran Tlachco Theater.

•     Expositions, exhibitions, and workshops: altars, food sale with the most representative dishes of Zacatecas and Quintana Roo. There will also be interactive workshops, photography and painting exhibitions.

•     Cuisine: This year with Zacatecas as a special guest, the culinary demonstration will offer gorditas, brujitas from Sombrerete, condoches, tacos envenenados, traditional asado de boda, etc.

In this year's edition, Eugenia León and Ely Guerra will perform. On October 31, Eugenia  León, one of the greatest exponents of Mexican music, will perform solo at the Tlachco Theater.  On November 1, both Eugenia León & Ely Guerra will perform together! Finally, on November 3, Ely Guerra will perform solo in an intimate piano & voice concert.

This year's edition (as all have been) will be memorable: the state of Zacatecas will display the state's customs, its mining culture influence (hence the name of Souls of Silver), and its Revolutionary Period (the Battle of Zacatecas was decisive in the Mexican Revolution). Music, theater, dance, and other artistic expressions will be the medium for this memorable nights.

... And as if 4 days of celebration weren't enough, the Festival will continue with 2 extra days (November 3 & 4) in two official secondary venues: Teatro de la Ciudad de Playa del Carmen and Teatro de Cancún. But that's not all! For the first time, Hotel Xcaret Mexico will also be a secondary venue for artists will perform from October 30 to November 4.

If you want to assist to Xcaret during these days, you can book a private tour that includes: fully-air conditioned, private van, English speaking drivers AND Festival of Life & Death Traditions entrance here.