Hughes Family Tribute Center will present its 12th annual Celebración del Día de Muertos over two weeks, Saturday, October 17 through Monday, November 2, 2026 on select days at Crown Hill Memorial Park and Mausoleum. The cemetery, located in the Bachman Lake area, is traditionally visited by families on Día de Muertos. Celebración del Día de Muertos builds on this cultural custom. Celebración del Día de Muertosis free and open to the public and held at Crown Hill Memorial Park and Mausoleum featuring the historic Art Deco style mausoleum, recognized as a City of Dallas Historic Landmark.
During Celebración del Día de Muertos, Hughes Family Tribute Center will be sponsoring the art exhibition Pathways of Past Lives: The Persistence of Existence which explores the connections between life, death, memory, and rebirth through contemporary art inspired by the traditions of Día de Muertos. Opening Saturday, October 17, and continuing on selected dates through Monday, November 2, 2026, the exhibition will feature a central installation by Josh Niccolai-Belfi, creating a powerful visual focal point. Curated by artist Art Garcia, the exhibition will also include works by regional area artists examining the themes of Día de Muertos.
Celebración del Día de Muertos is a multidisciplinary cultural arts program honoring the artistic and cultural traditions of Dfa de los Muertos through visual art, dance, music, and community engagement. Now in its 12th year, the event builds on authentic traditions and honors families coming to the cemetery and mausoleum to commune with their loved ones who are no longer with us on this earth. A priority goal is to welcome and educate attendees from diverse backgrounds about the meaning and importance of Dia de los Muertos and the ancient Mayan philosophy of the continuum of life and death.
The project will feature a newly commissioned immersive on-site art installation, original choreography, newly designed costumes and scenic elements, live musical performances, a commissioned theatrical reading, and interactive family activities that create an authentic and accessible cultural experience for audiences of all backgrounds. A central artistic component of the project is the site-specific art installation, "Los caminos de las vidas pasadas: la persistencia de la existencia," created by visual artist Josh Niccolai-Belfi in partnership with dancers and choreographers Favian Herrera and Fabiola Sanchez, and acoustic musician Noe Garcia. The installation will center on a sculptural aluminum altar that will serve as both a visual artwork and a performance environment. Dancers wearing original masks designed by Niccolai-Belfi will interact with the installation through choreographed and improvised movement that symbolizes the transition between the world of the living and the afterlife. Live acoustic music will accompany the performances, allowing each presentation to respond organically to the venue and audience. Small commemorative masks created by the artist will be distributed to visitors, extending the artistic experience beyond the performance itself.
Josh Niccolai-Belfi is a Dallas-based painter and sculptor native to the Bishop Arts district of Oak Cliff. He is a Fine Art Conservator and an experienced metal fabricator, welder, and wood worker, working with Dallas-based Van Enter Studio. His early art education included W.E. Greiner, Booker T. Washington HS PVA, and scholarships with the Meadows Museum at SMU. With a studio in the vibrant Tin District area of West Dallas, he maintains a prolific and diverse body of work. Currently, his work is on exhibit at "Texas Sculpts" at the Art Centre of Plano. His work explores sweeping vistas of color and texture that prohibit the eye to remain stationary with encroaching fields of pigment, interrupted peaks and crevasses, a landscape of the imagination.
The central on-site art installation will be accompanied by a visual art exhibition of Dia de los Muertos-themed works by area artists. This exhibit will be curated by Dallas-based artist, Art Garcia. Teatro Dallas has been commissioned to create a theatrical reading to accompany the art installation.
Additional artistic elements will include newly designed costumes, scenic environments, and decorative installations inspired by traditional Df a de los Muertos imagery including butterflies, flowers, calaveras, catrinas, and ofrendas. The Celebraci6n is designed to increase public understanding of the history, artistic traditions, and cultural significance of Celebración del Día de Muertos while providing opportunities for meaningful community participation. Although the holiday has gained widespread recognition throughout the United States, its Indigenous origins and enduring cultural traditions are often misunderstood. This project presents Celebración del Día de Muertos as it has been celebrated for centuries: a joyful remembrance that honors ancestors and loved ones through art, music, ritual, and community gathering.
The traditions of Celebración del Día de Muertos date back more than 3,000 years to the Indigenous cultures of pre-Columbian Mesoamerica. Rather than focusing on death as something to be feared, the celebration affirms the continuing relationship between the living and those who have passed. Families gather to honor loved ones through prayer, meditation, flowers, music, food, and ofrendas (offerings), reaffirming the importance of family, cultural identity, and intergenerational connection. By presenting these traditions in an artistic and educational setting, the project promotes cultural appreciation, cross-cultural understanding, and preservation of an important aspect of Mexican and Central American heritage.
The 2026 Celebraci6n will take place at Crown Hill Memorial Park and Mausoleum near Bachman Lake. The cemetery provides an authentic setting that reflects the longstanding tradition of families gathering at burial sites to celebrate and remember loved ones. This meaningful location reinforces the cultural significance of the event while creating a respectful environment for reflection, remembrance, and artistic expression.
Celebración Details
Saturday, October 17 - Monday, November 2, 2026
Free admission
Crown Hill Memorial Park and Mausoleum
9718 Webb Chapel Road, Dallas, Texas 75220
Saturday, October 17, 2026
Grand Opening - Pathways of Past Lives; the Persistence of Existence Art Exhibition
Featuring central installation by Josh Nicolaii-Belfy
Installation and Art on view 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.
Musical/Theatrical Performance at 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 18, 2026
Pathways of Past Lives: The Persistence of Existence Art Exhibition
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 24, 2026
Pathways of Past Lives: The Persistence of Existence Art Exhibition
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, October 25, 2026
Pathways of Past Lives: The Persistence of Existence Art Exhibition
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Saturday, October 31, 2026
Pathways of Past Lives: The Persistence of Existence Art Exhibition
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Sunday, November 1, 2026
Pathways of Past Lives: The Persistence of Existence Art Exhibition
1:00 - 4:00 p.m.
Monday, November 2, 2026
Pathways of Past Lives: The Persistence of Existence Art Exhibition
Art on view 10:00 a.m. - 8:00 p.m.
Día de Muertos Performances begin at 5:30 p.m.