Skulls, sweets and music: UHV to host Day of the Dead Fiesta
The University of Houston-Victoria will be hosting a Day of the Dead Fiesta at the beginning of this November.
“I hope everyone who comes learns a little something about Day of the Dead. It’s a holiday that is getting a lot more representation in the U.S.,” said Freddie Cantu, UHV interim director of student life.
Day of the Dead Fiesta will be held Thursday, Nov. 2 from noon to 7 p.m. on Pyramid Row, with events throughout the day. The event will be hosted in collaboration with Student Life, the Provost Office, University Advancement and International Programs.
In the past, Student Life has celebrated Day of the Dead, or Dia De Los Muertos, through smaller events, but this will be the first year that it will be celebrated with a bigger event that is open to the public, Cantu said.
At noon, local vendors and food trucks will be lined along Pyramid Row and will be there throughout the event. From 2-4 p.m., students are invited to Room 104 in University West to make their own sugar skulls and altars using shoe boxes.
At 4 p.m., Bridgitte Postel will be speaking in the UHV University Center Lobby about the meaning behind the Dia de los Muertos altars.
The main event will kick off at 5 p.m., and members of the public, alumni and students are invited to come partake in the festivities, Cantu said. Some of the festivities include live performances from local ballet folklorico groups, a mariachi band, facepainting and jaX making an appearance in his Day of the Dead outfit to take photos with attendees. There will be a check-in station that will be providing free stickers and flower crowns, Cantu said.
“Most of all, I just want everybody to have fun, and hopefully this event will do really well,” Cantu said. “We’d love to have an even bigger fiesta to celebrate the Day of the Dead next year.”
The University of Houston-Victoria, located in the heart of the Coastal Bend region since 1973 in Victoria, Texas, offers courses leading to more than 50 academic programs in the schools of Arts & Sciences; Business Administration; and Education, Health Professions & Human Development. UHV provides face-to-face classes at its Victoria campus, as well as an instructional site in Katy, Texas, and online classes that students can take from anywhere. UHV supports the American Association of State Colleges and Universities Opportunities for All initiative to increase awareness about state colleges and universities and the important role they have in providing a high-quality and accessible education to an increasingly diverse student population, as well as contributing to regional and state economic development.