Our beloved Día de Muertos community celebration is growing!
🧡 Save the dates: 22.10., 31.10., 1.11.
This year, for the first time, our traditional family celebration will take place as two special celebration days, in two of Helsinki Metropolitan area’s most iconic cultural spaces: EMMA Espoo Museum of Modern Art on Saturday 31.11. and Oodi Helsinki Central Library on Sunday 1.11.2026.
Before that, on 22.10. we will come together to prepare Cempasúchil, or Mexican marigold (Tagetes Erecta), often referred to as flor de muerto, meaning flower of the dead. Everyone is welcome to join and help us create the decorations for the ofrendas.
Día de Muertos is a beautiful tradition of remembering and honoring those who have passed away. It is a time when families and communities come together to keep the memory of loved ones alive: with flowers, colors, stories, music, food and, above all, togetherness.
Traditionally celebrated on 1 and 2 November, Día de Muertos brings together ancestral traditions from Mexico and Central America. Families create special altars, or ofrendas, to welcome and remember the loved ones who are no longer with us.
Ninho invites all children, families, friends and anyone who would like to share this tradition whether you celebrate Día de Muertos every year or are exploring it for the first time. There is a place for everyone.
Both celebration days will offer a program full of creative and joyful activities for all ages. The Oodi program is free. At EMMA, admission is free for visitors under 29 years old, while visitors aged 29 and over pay the museum entrance fee.
Día de Muertos was recognized in Finland as intangible cultural heritage by the Ministry of Education and Culture in 2023, and the Mexican Día de Muertos tradition has been part of UNESCO’s Intangible Cultural Heritage since 2008.
Come and remember, create, and celebrate with us. We look forward to welcoming you and your family! 🧡
Día de Muertos – Program 2026
🧡 Tuesday 22.10. I 5-7 pm I Community preparation at Vapaakaupungin Olohuone, Helsinki
🧡 Saturday 31.10. I 12:30-4:30 pm I Family Day at EMMA, Espoo
🧡 Sunday 1.11. I 2-6 pm I Family Day at Oodi, Helsinki
Community preparation at Kalasataman Vapaakaupungin Olohuone
Welcome to the most beautiful Community gathering in preparation of Día de Muertos 🧡
All ages are welcome to this free access remembrance encounter. This year our Community Encounter will take place on Thursday 22.10. 5-7pm, at Vapaakaupungin Olohuone, located on the 2. floor of Redi, Hermannin rantatie 5, Helsinki.
Meet a beautiful community while you learn how to make traditional Mexican paper marigold flowers (Cempasúchil) and “Papel Picado”, two essential elements of Día de Muertos. With these decorations, you’ll contribute to creating an Altar For All Souls, community installation in Oodi Library on Sunday 1.11.!
Family Day Program at EMMA Espoo Museum of Modern Art
Welcome to the first-ever Día de Muertos Family Day at EMMA! 🧡
Our long-running community tradition is expanding to Espoo for the first time. Join us for a special day of creative activities, music and togetherness for children and families of all ages and experience this beautiful tradition together with the community. EMMA is located in Ahertajantie 5, Tapiola, Espoo City.
Come and join us, bring your family and friends, and remember and honour those we love together! 🧡 ️
Program at EMMA I Saturday 31.10. I 12:30-4:30 pm
🧡 12:30-3:30 pm I Make your own Day of the Dead Altar I Art and Craft Non-Stop Workshop led by Mariana Núñez Sánchez (MX).
Everyone is welcome to either build their own ofrenda/altar with the collage pieces that will be given or mix collage and drawing to create a more unique and personal Altar.
Ages suggested +2 years old accompanied by a caregiver.
🧡 12:30-3:30 pm I “Papel Picado” (Mexican paper cutting) I Art and Craft Non-Stop Workshop led by Pola (MX)
Welcome to create “Papel Picado” one of the most traditional elements of Mexican offerings during the Day of the Dead celebrations. By cutting paper, we will create shapes that dance in the wind and fill the altar with color, as we honor the memory of our loved ones.
Ages suggested +2 years old accompanied by a caregiver.
🧡 12:30-3:30 pm I “Calaveritas” (little Skulls) Face Painting led by Alicia Sevilla (MX) & Núria Rovira Martí (Catalonia)
Transform into colorful calaveritas and create joyful memories together! Come and be part of this Day of the Dead celebration.
Open to children of all ages, accompanied by a caregiver.
🧡 12:30-4:30 pm I Day of Dead -Live audio-reactive performance by Julle Gröhn (MX–FI)
During all Family Day a live audio-reactive performance, brings symbols of Día de Muertos to life. Using modular synthesizers, Julle Gröhn creates music that shapes the visuals in real time, turning tradition into a living, ever-changing altar of sound and light.
Accessible to all ages.
🧡 3:30 – 4:30 pm I Communitarian Closing Event by DJ Julio Gröhn (MX-FI)
We will gather around the small Altars created to remember those we love, celebrate their lives and keep their memories alive through music, dancing and joy. A warm and joyful closing for children, families and everyone to share together.
Accessible to all ages.
Día de Muertos – Family Day at EMMA Espoo Museum of Modern Art is a co-production among Kulttuurikeskus Ninho ry and EMMA Espoo Museum of Modern Art, Finnish Arts and Culture Agency and Svenska Kulturfonden.
Family Day Program at Oodi Library
The remembrances continue Sunday 1.11. in Helsinki, with an afternoon of art and craft workshops, stories, installations and a performance for the whole family. Oodi is located in Töölönlahdenkatu 4, Helsinki.
The collaborative installation is created through community participation prior to the event. You can find more details about this above in Community Preparation.
Come and join us at Oodi for the fifth year. Bring your family and friends and share this beautiful tradition of remembrance together! 🧡
Program at Oodi I Sunday 1.11. I 2 – 6 pm
🧡 2-4 pm I Loved Stories I Multilingual Storytelling Sessions
2 pm: Storytelling in Swedish by Camilla Cedercreutz-Bäck (FI)
3 pm: Storytelling in Finnish by Camilla Cedercreutz-Bäck (FI)
4 pm: Storytelling in Spanish by Abraham Cano Alarcón (MX)
The 5th edition of Ninho’s Día de Muertos-Family Day couldn’t forget our traditional multilingual storytelling marathons! Come with your children and get to know Día de Muertos through lovely stories!
Ages suggested +4 years old; siblings are so welcome too.
🧡 2-5pm I Make your own Day of the Dead Altar | Arts & Crafts Non-Stop Workshop by Mariana Núñez Sánchez (MX).
Everyone is welcome to either build their own ofrenda/altar with the collage pieces that will be given or mix collage and drawing to create a more unique and personal Altar.
Ages suggested +2 years old accompanied by a caregiver.
🧡 2-5pm I “Calaveritas” Non-Stop Face Painting led by Alicia Sevilla (MX) & Núria Rovira Martí (Catalonia)
This activity will bring children into colorful little skulls to share a joyful memory. Come and be part of this commemoration!
Accessible to all ages of children accompanied by a caregiver.
🧡 2 – 5pm I Altar For All Souls – Community Art Installation by all of us
Let‘s come together to remember our family members, friends, pets… who are no longer with us, in this beautiful collective offering.
Accessible to all ages of children accompanied by a caregiver.
🧡 2 – 5pm I Papel Picado – Interactive Digital Art Installation by Julle Gröhn (MX) Nite Labs Ltd.
A 3D homage to the vibrant tradition of Día de Muertos. Inspired by “Papel Picado”, this animation celebrates the delicate dance between life, death, and memory through color, light, and motion. Each perforated pattern becomes a fleeting symbol of presence, fragile yet eternal, evoking the spirit of those who came before us. Through the interplay of shadow and movement, the piece reimagines this beloved Mexican craft in a digital realm, preserving its soul while transforming it into a living, breathing tribute to remembrance and continuity.
Accessible to all ages.
️🧡 5 – 6 pm I Remembranza -Dance and Music Performance by dancer Paola Elean (MX), double bassist Grisell MacDonal (MX) and cellist Victoria Sofía (MX)
In this performance, music and movement come together to inhabit and reimagine this profound celebration. Here, the echoes of memory and family tradition are transformed into a soundscape through improvisation and direct dialogue between the strings, the body, and the space, creating an immersive experience that brings the audience closer to the performance.
Accessible to all ages.
This is a Kulttuurikeskus Ninho production in cooperation with Oodi Central Library and Nite Labs Ltd. With the support of City of Helsinki, Finnish Arts and Culture Agency and Svenska Kulturfonden.