Large crowd comes out to celebrate Dia de los Muertos in Mankato

MANKATO, Minn. (KEYC) - For the second year, Riverfront Drive closed Saturday to celebrate the hispanic Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Dead.

Last year’s event was an overwhelming success for organizers, who came back more prepared than ever, as organizers estimate this year’s event to be nearly double the size of last year’s.

“It’s so much more than we thought it would be. Just droves of people have come today and so many acts on top of each other it’s just, there’s so much to do,” said organizer Justin Ek.

The event celebrates contemporary Halloween traditions, with local businesses and community members handing out candy for Trick-or-Treating, but the main events are more traditional.

Celebrations of Hispanic and Latino culture, from Mariachi bands playing the grand stage to luchador wrestlers performing for a crowd. It was an opportunity to blend and celebrate the variety of cultures that fill southern Minnesota.

“It’s an event so that we can teach and learn, and welcome and call people in rather than calling, putting walls up and inviting them to celebrate our culture with us. So we’re happy to have everybody here and happy to teach people what it means to celebrate this day,” said Ek.

The event also gives local businesses an opportunity to branch out and connect with the community on a personal level, and those businesses say that it’s an opportunity that they can’t wait to plan around for years to come.

“It feels great to be a part of such a big event, especially one that’s really kind of still in its early stages. I mean this is only the second year of it and it’s already becoming one of the biggest events in Mankato. It feels great to be a part of that,” said Dork Den owner Joe Huber.

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