The festival celebrates two decades of preserving, sharing, and honoring one of Mexico’s most representative cultural expressions.
Guanajuato will showcase its rich gastronomy, craftsmanship, and culture—all linked to the Day of the Dead celebration—at Xcaret Park.
From October 30 to November 2, the park will bring together traditions, art, music, cuisine, and the bearers of the country’s living cultural heritage.
Mexico City, August 12, 2026. Grupo Xcaret has announced the twentieth edition of the Life and Death Festival (Festival de Vida y Muerte), one of Mexico’s most important cultural gatherings dedicated to preserving and sharing traditions associated with the Day of the Dead. From October 30 to November 2, Xcaret Park will once again become a space where memory, art, gastronomy, and the cultural expressions that define the country’s identity converge.
For this special edition, marking two decades of the festival’s history, Guanajuato will participate as the guest state. It will share the richness of its traditions, ancestral knowledge, artistic manifestations, and culinary expressions—all linked to one of the most emblematic celebrations of Mexican cultural heritage—with both domestic and international visitors.
Since its inception, the festival has established itself as a platform to recognize and highlight the work of communities, master artisans, traditional cooks, artists, and tradition-bearers who keep alive the cultural expressions that have shaped Mexico’s identity. Over the course of twenty editions, the festival has helped introduce new generations to a celebration recognized by UNESCO as Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
“Reaching twenty years represents much more than just a celebration. It is an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to promoting the best of Mexico. The Life and Death Festival is a space where communities share their knowledge, where traditions engage in dialogue, and where thousands of people can connect with the cultural depth that gives meaning to this celebration,” said Leticia Aguerrebere, Corporate Director of Art and Culture at Grupo Xcaret. Guanajuato’s participation will showcase some of the country’s most representative cultural expressions—a region renowned for its rich history and the diverse ways its communities honor the memory of the departed. Through culinary displays, handicrafts, artistic performances, and the participation of tradition-bearers, the state will share an authentic vision of the Day of the Dead with the public, straight from the heart of the Bajío region.
As part of the program, attendees can enjoy a wide array of activities, including altars and offerings, stage performances, live music, dance, exhibitions, themed tours, cultural workshops, culinary experiences, and gatherings with representatives from various communities in Guanajuato and Quintana Roo.
This twentieth edition of the festival reaffirms Grupo Xcaret’s commitment to offering every visitor an unforgettable taste of Mexico, fostering spaces for cultural exchange and strengthening the promotion of cultural traditions that remain a symbol of identity for millions of people across the country.
