Halloween for Kids in Warsaw: Mexican Calavera Masks & Día de Muertos — 17 October, Wilanów

This year we're celebrating Halloween a little differently. On Saturday 17 October, at our studio in Wilanów, we're travelling to Mexico to discover one of the most beautiful and colourful celebrations in the world — and then every child will make their own calavera mask.

Día de Muertos isn't Mexican Halloween

The two often get mixed up because they fall so close together, but they're completely different traditions. Halloween is about scares, ghosts and costumes. Día de Muertos — the Day of the Dead — takes place on 1 and 2 November, and it's a celebration of memory, joy and family.

Its roots go back to the Aztecs and other Indigenous peoples of Mexico, who honoured their ancestors long before the Spanish arrived. Over time those customs blended with the Catholic feasts of All Saints and All Souls, and the result is a holiday like no other.

How Mexico thinks about death

In Mexico, death isn't something to fear or avoid talking about. It's a natural part of life. People believe that during these days the souls of loved ones come home to visit their families — so the mood is less sadness than reunion, with music, food and shared memories.

Families build ofrendas at home: small altars with photographs of loved ones, their favourite foods, candles and bright orange cempasúchil marigolds, whose scent and colour are said to guide the souls home. Sweet pan de muerto goes on the table, and cut-paper papel picado flutters above the streets.

We talk about all of this with the children gently and warmly. It's a lovely way to show that we can remember the people we've lost with joy.

Calavera masks and skulls

The best-known symbol of the celebration is the calavera — the skull. Mexican calaveras aren't frightening at all. They smile, and they're covered in flowers, patterns and vivid colours. Traditional calaveras de azúcar are sugar skulls, often with the name of a remembered person written across the forehead.

The famous La Catrina, an elegant skeleton in a wide feathered hat, began in the early 1900s as an etching by Mexican printmaker José Guadalupe Posada, who drew her as a reminder that everyone is equal in death, rich and poor alike. Diego Rivera later made her famous in one of his murals.

Masks have a very long history in Mexico. They were carved from wood or made from clay and papier-mâché, and worn in traditional dances and ceremonies. Every pattern and colour carried meaning: flowers for life, hearts for love, spirals for eternity.

What we'll do on 17 October

• Discover the story and symbols of Día de Muertos — ofrendas, marigolds, papel picado and La Catrina
• Design our own calavera mask — a sketch first, then symmetrical patterns across the forehead, around the eyes and on the cheeks
• Paint and decorate the mask with flowers, dots, spirals and hearts in bold Mexican colours
• Talk about what our chosen patterns mean — because in Mexico, every ornament says something

Every child goes home with their own one-of-a-kind mask.

The details

• 📅 Saturday 17 October 2026
• 🕐 11:00–12:30
• ⏱️ 1.5 hours of creating
• 📍 Art for Kids studio, ul. Branickiego 21A/U2, Wilanów
• 👧 Ages 7–10
• 💰 120 PLN, all materials included
• 🎨 Taught in English

Groups are small, so places are limited. Book a place

You can also see calavera masks children have made with us before in our gallery.