Dia de los Muertos altar at CocoAndre
West Dallas’ Festival de Calaveras offers food, music and activities to celebrate the day of the dead, and this year, they plan to break a world record.
The Oak Cliff Coalition for the Arts plans to claim the Guinness World Record title for the Largest Altar in the World, which will be put together during the festival.
“Dia de Muertos is beloved because we have all lost someone dear to us and celebrating with an altar offers us the opportunity to honor and remember them,” said founder of OCCA, Sylvana Flores Avila.
The planned altar will be 640 square feet, or 100 feet in length with three levels going across the Ronald Kirk Pedestrian Bridge. The community is invited to bring framed photos of their loved ones and ofrendas for the altar, and each person who participates will be given a 2’x4″ space.
The festival’s theme is Illuminate the Path. The illuminating of the bridge and altar will begin at dusk, around 6:00 p.m.
The current world record title for largest altar is held by Hidalgo, Mexico. Because of the Ronald Kirk Pedestrian Bridge’s size, the OCCA said it will be possible to continue growing the altar in the future.
