Día de los Muertos, or the Day of the Dead, is a Mexican holiday where participants honor loved ones who have passed on to the next life. As part of the tradition, the holiday invites the dearly departed to return for a day of celebration.

The Longmont Museum has been celebrating Día de los Muertos for the past 19 years, with the festivities and crowds growing with each year. What once began as a small art exhibit at the museum that gathered about 30 people, has expanded to one of the biggest Day of the Dead celebrations in Colorado — so large, in fact, that this year the fiesta had to be relocated to the streets of downtown Longmont. The museum collaborated with Firehouse Art Center, Longmont Downtown Development Authority and El Comité de Longmont for this year’s swath of activities.

Since the first exhibit, Longmont Museum has been focusing on respectfully celebrating the culture and history of both the holiday and those who celebrate it by continuing to educate the public with the true meaning of Día de los Muertos. This year, the museum’s exhibit features 11 altars, or ofrendas, that were made by local artists, community members and groups alongside an an educational ofrenda that provides context and detail about these traditional displays.

“As the popularity and pop culture grows, we really walk the line between cultural appreciation and cultural appropriation,” Longmont Museum project coordinator Ann Macca said. “We try very hard to stay on the appreciation side of that line. It’s important to us and I think that makes us unique. Education is a really important piece of that, whether you’re talking about Day of the Dead or another cultural celebration, to understand the history and background of what you’re doing and to honor that.”

The exhibit also includes large Catrina sculptures, on loan from the Denver Botanic Gardens, that were crafted by Los Angeles artist Ricardo Soltero. These fancily clothed and decorated skeletons are inspired by the Day of the Dead’s icon, the Catrina. La Calavera Catrina was a satirical lampoon created by cartoon artist José Guadalupe Posada in the early 1900s. The floral skull image has served to represent El Día de los Muertos since, taking form in traditional sugar skulls, costumes and art.

“I think one of the things that’s interesting and important about (the holiday) is to recognize that all cultures have different ways that they honor and remember their loved ones, their heroes and their friends and family who have passed,” Macca said.

Shuttles will be available from the museum to the downtown festival Saturday, so attendees can enjoy both the street activities and the educational exhibit at the museum. The street festival, which takes place at 4th and Kimbark streets, promises to be the biggest celebration yet, organizers said.

“It’s absolutely all about a sense of community,” Firehouse Art Center curator Brandy Coons said. “I never celebrated this holiday growing up, and the more I learn about it, the more I enjoy the opportunities that it gives us to honor our ancestors. And this idea that we all have a family history and roots, and being able to celebrate that together is really amazing.”

The festival will include live music and dancing, traditional food, sugar skull decorating, altars, craft making, Catrina face painting and more family friendly activities for all to enjoy a celebration of life on the Day of the Dead, as it was intended to be, at this growing festival.

“The Day of the Dead is a really uplifting and beautiful celebration of your heritage, your family, your culture, your history,” Macca said. “So embracing that understanding — what the history is, the background, where it comes from and the symbolism — is really, why we do it and what we hope people will take away from it.”

At 6:15 p.m. Saturday, attendees can follow the Gigantes Procession of traditional giant puppets made by local artists to the Dickens Opera House for the seventh annual Catrina Ball.

Attendees of the ball are encouraged to paint their faces and don formal wear in their best rendition of the classic skeletal image. Dickens, the so-called haunted host of the dance, will be decorated in beautiful candles, flowers, papercrafts (papel picado) and Catrina art drawings that were created by local artists.

“I think this is one of the holidays we have where we truly embrace the diversity of our local culture,” Coons said.

The ball will also feature a community sugar skull wall, where attendees can create their own Catrina designs, as well as a community altar. Admission includes drinks, food, live music and an art auction, with proceeds to benefit Firehouse and Longmont Museum.

The Día de los Muertos holiday runs from Oct. 31-Nov. 2 every year, so those interested in celebrating can head to downtown Longmont for various weekend activities.

“Each year it seems like I’ve learned a little bit more about Day of the Dead,” Macca said. “The more you learn about it, the more you’re able to connect and say, ‘Oh, I see that in this other cultural celebration, or over here, it aligns with the way someone does something somewhere else in the world.’ So, to me, I hope that it brings people together just by recognizing similarities.”

Día de los Muertos festivities along the Front Range

Dia de los Muertos black light extravaganza: This Day of the Dead-themed gathering will feature live music and dancing, with costumes encouraged; 7 p.m. Saturday, Phoenix Asylum, 2510 47th St., suite D, Boulder; $10; bit.ly/phoenixasylum

Day of the Dead Feast: Celebrate the dearly departed with an food and drink, including carne asada fajitas and a parrillada platter with carnitas, camarones, and media pollo all day today and a Resurrection Brunch 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday, Centro Mexican Kitchen, 950 Pearl St., Boulder; centromexican.com

Dia De Muertos Celebration: Amistad and Dairy Arts Center will host an afternoon of art, music, dance and Latin cuisine. Wear a Catrina costume and have your face painted by an artist on site; 4-6 p.m. Saturday, Dairy Arts Center, 2590 Walnut St., Boulder; free; thedairy.org

Family Fiesta: Enjoy live music, dancing and crafting festivities on the streets of Longmont with traditional food and altars; 2-6 p.m. Saturday, 4th and Kimbark streets, Longmont; free; firehouseart.org

Gigantes Procession: Follow the traditional giant puppets of the Day of the Dead, made by local artists, to the Catrina Ball celebration; 6:15-7 p.m. Saturday, 4th and Kimbark streets, Longmont; free; firehouseart.org

Catrina Ball: Don your best Catrina attire and face paint at Dickens Opera House, and enjoy drinks, live music, dancing and viewing of altars as well as an art auction benefiting the Loveland Museum and Firehouse Art Center. 7:30-11 p.m. Saturday, 300 Main St., Longmont; $16; dickenstavern.com

Day of the Dead Altars: Learn more about the history of Día de los Muertos and explore altars made by local community members and artists as well as the Catrina sculptures by Ricardo Soltero; through Monday, 400 Quail Road, Longmont; free; longmontcolorado.gov

Día de los Muertos — Day of the Dead Altars: Pay homage to the traditional Mexican culture and explore altars created by Northern Colorado community members at the Global Village Museum of Arts and Cultures; through Saturday, 200 W. Mountain Ave., Fort Collins; $5; downtownfortcollins.com

Day of the Dead Disc Golf Tournament: Try your hand at competitive disc golf and take home a glow in the dark University of Northern Colorado-themed Frisbee at this event; 7-9 p.m. Saturday, UNC’s Gunter Green, 501 20th St., Greeley; $15; calendar.unco.edu

Día de los Muertos: Loveland Public Library and Loveland Heart and Sol celebrate the Day of the Dead with colorful decoration, dance and refreshment; Sunday, Loveland Public Library, 300 North Adams Ave., Loveland; free; visitlovelandco.org

Day of the Dead Face Painting: Have your face painted and get ready to party with Juiced on Imagination in the taproom of Loveland Aleworks. 5-7 p.m. Friday, Loveland Aleworks, 118 W. 4th St., Loveland; Free; lovelandaleworks.com