A Day of the Dead celebration is coming to New Brighton

A Mexican-inspired Day of the Dead Weekender with a late-night candlelit procession is coming to New Brighton this November.

The two-day celebration of culture and community, on Saturday November 1 and Sunday November 2, will feature family activities in the daytime including drummers, fire performances and dance, as well as events across lots of local bars, restaurants and venues.

One of the highlights will be a Latin-themed launch party at the Floral Pavilion on Saturday night with three hours of DJs, cocktails, live entertainment and an energetic rhythm-packed headline performance from Los Amigos.

That will culminate around 10.15pm in a candlelit procession, with costumes and specially-created oversized Day of the Dead heads, along the promenade to Victoria Road where the celebrations will carry on with late-night live music and plenty of drinks offers.

Although the launch party is for adults only, the Floral Pavilion will also be hosting a fun Family Festival on Saturday afternoon from 12pm to 4.30pm. That will have face painting and art workshops, live music and dance performances, craft stalls and artisan makers, and delicious Mexican food.

There’ll also be ofrenda displays, a Mexican Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) tradition where families create altars covered with personal items, photos and even favourite food and drink as a celebration of the lives of lost loved ones.

Across New Brighton, venues including The Pilot Boat, The Clarence Hotel, The Master Mariner, District House, Riptide Bar, and The New Brighton Hotel will be getting into the Day of the Dead spirit with their own events featuring live music, quizzes, cocktail specials and family-friendly activities.

Anyone going along on Sunday afternoon will be able to enjoy entertainment from local acts such as the NWPAS Performing Arts School and Wirral Samba Drummers who’ll be performing outside The James Atheron and The Queens Royal.

A charity raffle will also be running alongside the event, with proceeds supporting Deaf Active, a charity which empowers young people through inclusive arts and community engagement, and the New Brighton Partnership CIC, which works to promote local regeneration and cultural events.

A spokesperson for the New Brighton Partnership says the Day of the Dead Weekender is a fantastic example of how local businesses and the community can work together to make something special that benefits everyone.

They said: “Our CIC was created earlier this year to represent local businesses, to support them and to support local residents. It’s people who all love and live in New Brighton.

“We’ve also set up Love New Brighton social media to help promote what’s happening here because we’ve got so much to offer.

“Our Day of the Dead Weekender is going to be colourful, creative and full of life – a celebration that perfectly reflects New Brighton’s spirit!”