Sugar Skull City: Month-Long Día de Muertos Celebration Starts Today in Aurora

For the next 30 days, it’s no longer called “downtown Aurora.” Now through November 5th, it’s officially Sugar Skull City!

Instead of the numerous parties and celebrations in and around Aurora for Día de Muertos, Aurora Downtown, the non-profit dedicated to promoting the city’s downtown area, has put together a 30 days of celebrations with COVID precautions in mind leading up to (and through) the actual holiday which runs 10/31-11/2.

Here is a list of all the socially distanced fun you can have according to :

  • Take a self-guided walking tour of downtown storefronts decorated for Day of the Dead by local artists and downtown staff.
  • Enjoy specials and menu items at restaurants that honor the Day of the Dead traditions.
  • Participate in a Sugar Skull scavenger hunt. Find the two yellow sugar skull screen prints in downtown windows.
  • Learn how to make DIY sugar skulls and papel picado. VIRTUAL!
  • Shop downtown shops for local artisan Day of the Dead merchandise.
  • Stop into Mexican restaurants and bakeries and support Latinx-owned businesses.
  • Buy an official Sugar Skull City tote bag filled with goodies. Sugar Skull City totes are available for $15 at Wyckwood House and The Cotton Seed Creative Exchange. Limited supply!
  • Vote on Sugar Skull art prints by local artists.
  • Participate in an ofrenda contest.
  • Download Sugar Skull coloring pages.
  • Enjoy an evening of Day of the Dead celebrations at First Fridays on November 6.

I’ll be 100% honest here. I’m not Mexican (surprised, right?). I feel slightly embarassed that most of what I know about Día de Muertos is from the movie Coco! It’s the only reason I know what an ofrenda is! Shame on me, though! This celebration will be a great way for me and my family to educate ourselves on Mexican culture.