6 Awesome Ideas for Your Day of the Dead Party

Dia de los Muertos is a holiday celebrated in Mexico and other Latin countries in which families gather to celebrate and remember their loved ones lost. Two years ago, I spent the holiday in Mexico City, where it is highly celebrated, and as gothic as it may seem — with the tradition of wooden skeletons imitating life in every form from wooden figurines to children’s candies — the city and surrounding towns came alive with tented markets full of vendors selling colorful skulls and lively music playing on nearly every street. In recent years, the traditions of the holiday have gained popularity in the States, even outside of the Hispanic population, in the form of décor, treats and costumes. So while anyone can throw a Halloween party, try stirring things up this year with a vibrant Day of the Dead fiesta that is full of life. Here’s how. [pagebreak]

Spread The Word In Style

Paper invites are so 20th century. These adorable invites from Paperless Post set the mood with colorful, animated e-cards featuring the traditional Dia de los Muertos skulls. Best of all, the first 15 or 30 cards you send are free!

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Get Your Décor

Dia de los Muertos is all about celebrating life. When creating the look for your fiesta, think bright colors and details with humor. Mexican markets are filled year-round with miniature skeletons that are full of life, depicting everything from teachers to exotic dancers that family choose to represent their loved ones. If you can’t make the trip south of the border, Etsy offers a variety of inspired décor like these gorgeous sculptures which make a fitting and authentic detail. The shop even accepts custom orders to create a lively figurine all your own.

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Add Some Blooms

When it comes to flowers, fresh blooms of course, are always nice. Big and vibrant types like peonies or Gerbera daisies in a variety of colors would do the trick. For an even more traditional vibe, you can make your own colorful tissue poms. All it takes is folding about eight sheets of colored tissue paper together accordion-style, wrap a pipe cleaner around the middle, separate each sheets into a poof and viola! Or, make it even easier and pick up one of these kits by Martha Stewart for colorful hanging blooms made simple.

Make Some Fun and Savory Sweets

Traditionally, families celebrate loved ones by making and enjoying the departed’s favorite foods. Traditional Hispanic foods like enchiladas, tamales or guacamole will be a hit with guests, but when it comes to Dia de los Muertos, it’s all about the sweets. Traditional sugar skulls double as fun décor and a sweet, after-dinner treat. These candy skull molds by Wilton make it easy to make a batch of your own. Simply mix one cup of sugar with a teaspoon of meringue powder and a  teaspoon of water. Fill the molds, scrape clean and carefully flip over onto a plate and let dry about 12 hours. Check out our recipe for sugar skulls here.

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Dress Up The Drinks

Keep the vibrant mood going with drinks that tickle the senses. Offer Latin classics that call for fruity details like our Cranberry Margarita or Peach Mango Sangria. If you have the space, set out drinks ready to take in a variety of hues with fruit garnish on the rims. Or for an unexpected detail, serve with small fruits like berries, mint sprig or even edible flowers (found in speciality grocers like Whole Foods with the packaged herbs) frozen in ice cubes.

Set The Mood

Of course, the spice of any party is the music. A Mexican-themed fiesta playlist is easy with free tools like Pandora and Spotify. When choosing an artist station, just type in artists like Celia Cruz, Tito Puente or Los Tigres del Norte for a non-stop playlist of lively tunes all night.