Join us at Tate Modern for a day of music, making, remembrance and celebration. Followed by an exclusive evening of live music with Malphino, Carlos Rene and Coco María.
Inspired by Frida: The Making of an Icon and co-curated with selector and radio host Coco María, the festival explores the traditions and cultural significance of Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead), while celebrating the creativity, resilience and enduring influence of Frida Kahlo.
Enjoy live performances, community workshops, a collaborative ofrenda, a colourful procession and activities throughout the building, then stay into the evening for a special ticketed programme.
Frida: Day of the Dead Festival is supported by Bank of America.
Daytime Performances
10.00 – 18.00
Free and drop in.
Coco María - Welcome performance
14.00 – 15.00
Corner Bar
Join Coco María for her first set of the day welcoming audiences to a day of fun and festivities.
Iko Chérie
15.00 - 16.00
Corner Bar
Head over to Corner Bar and join Iko Chérie for a set of experimental pop.
Pop-up Cumbia
Throughout the day
South Tanks
Throughout the day listen out for the sounds of Cumbia in the Tanks by the members of Malphino. Malphino will perform individual sets, giving a unique insight into Coco María’s storytelling.
Day of the Dead Procession
15.00 - 15.30
Starting in the South Tanks
Join a colourful community procession through Tate Modern celebrating Día de los Muertos. Led by the UK Latin Community and accompanied by live music from Malphino, the procession honours loved ones, ancestors and the traditions of the day.
Collaborative Performance with Luzmira Zerpa
South Tanks
Join Luzmira Zerpa as she guides you to participate in a collaborate performance of La Llorona and other songs!
Daytime Workshops
10.00 – 18.00
Free and drop-in.
Open to all ages, with all materials provided.
Throughout the day, drop into four connected South Tanks activities inspired by Frida Kahlo and Día de los Muertos, exploring creativity, identity, remembrance and celebration through calavera face painting, hojalatas, paper marigolds, nichos, music, reflection and community participation.
Collaborative Ofrenda - Javier Calderon
10.00 - 18.00
South Tanks
Step into a collaborative ofrenda created by artist Javier Calderón and the Tate Collective Producers.
The ofrenda is a shared space for remembrance, reflection and celebration at the heart of the festival. Visitors are invited to join our four ‘Offers to Frida’ workshops around the Ofrenda to create your own handmade offering to contribute to the Ofrenda.
Dias De Los Muertos Costume Making Workshop with UK Latin Community
10.00 - 14.00
South Tanks
Join the UK Latin Community for a hands-on Day of the Dead workshop. Learn about its traditions while making decorations and offerings for the community ofrenda in the Tanks, plus headpieces, accessories and costume elements for the afternoon procession.
Foil Embossing and Shadow Box Making with Natalie Byrne
14.00 - 18.00
South Tanks
Artist Natalie Byrne invites visitors to create their own shadow box, or nicho. You will create a small, decorated shrine or display created to honour and remember a loved one who has passed away. Decorate your shadow box using foil embossing, inspired by the practice of using tin within Mexican folk art.
Milagros: Pocket Altar Zines for Remembering Ourselves with Artizine
12.00 - 17.30
South Tanks
Make a self-led pocket altar zine inspired by the ofrenda tradition, using images, collage, poetry, written devotions and personal symbols to celebrate remembrance, connection and your own life.
Viva La Vida: Watermelon Painting with Veronica Cordova
14.00 - 17.00
South Tanks
Inspired by Frida Kahlo’s painting Viva la Vida, create watermelon paintings with Veronica Cordova as a space for reflection and remembrance, adding messages of love for yourself and others.
UNIQLO Tate Play
Holiday Make Studio: Remake/Retry/Redo
10.30 - 18.00
East Tanks
Work together to create a vibrant, ever-changing display, inspired by connection, play and renewal.
Mandinga Arts - Día de Muertos Mask Making
Tanks Studio
12.00 - 15.00
Drop-in
Make a bold Día de Muertos-inspired mask with Mandinga Arts, ready to wear in the afternoon procession.
Día de Muertos Carpet by Yu Sato
10.00 - 18.00
Tanks Foyer
Visit the Día de Muertos carpet designed by Yu Sato and constructed with the help of the Tate Collective Producers.
Coco’s Mexico City
10.00 - 18.00
Tanks Foyer
See footage from Coco María’s recent trip to Mexico City and experience the city through her eyes.
Quiet and Reflection Space
10.00 - 18.00
McAuley Studio
Take some time away from the festivities and have a moment to relax and reflect in our quiet space.
Evening Programme
19.00–22.00
Ticketed.
An exclusive evening of live music in the South Tanks with Malphino, Carlos Rene and Coco María. Curated by Coco María. Tickets will be available here shortly.
Malphino
19.00 - 19.45
Carlos Rene
19.45 - 20.30
Coco María
20.30 - 22.00
After-hours exhibition access
The Frida: The Making of an Icon exhibition will remain open after hours during the evening programme, giving visitors more time to experience the exhibition alongside the live music.
Food and drink
We have a special food and drink menu prepared for the festival including exclusive cocktails and Pan de Muerto.
More information
Coco María
Music has been a constant in Coco María's life since she was very little. This is what it’s like to be born in a country as sonorous as Mexico: on the other side of the window there is always a song playing.
Now based in Amsterdam, Coco María has transformed her musical heritage into a vibrant and elegant force that continues to discover and make Latin sounds travel to the most unexpected corners. Since her morning radio show on Worldwide FM, Gilles Peterson’s online radio station, catapulted her onto the international scene, she has toured across all five continents.
Her unique style fuses the best of tropical music with her interpretation of modernity, creating warm and distinctive sets that connect cultures, eras and stories. Through her selections, Coco María has established herself as a unique storyteller, capable of weaving emotions through music and inviting audiences to be carried away by rhythms that tell all kinds of stories.
Carlos René
Carlos René is a prominent DJ, music archivist, and record dealer who has been influential in the DJ scene in Mexico city since 2002. He specialises in organic, vintage sounds and is known for his dedication to reviving forgotten Mexican and Latin music. He co-founded Casa Calypso record shop and shares his musical discoveries globally through his NTS show and multiple YouTube channels. Renowned for his innovative club nights like Bombo y Maracas, Sacúdete and his exclusive use of 7" records, Carlos René captivates audiences at festivals and venues worldwide with his eclectic musical range and passion for music.
Malphino
Malphino are an outer-national, mystical band from an imaginary tropical island that has dreamt up a cinematic score and audio backdrop to their idyll. A promised land of hypnotic Cumbia rhythms, subtle digital warbling, accordion textures, voodoo vapours and woodblock charm awaits the off piste explorer willing to step through the arch and Visit Malphino. As dusky pink sky light lit the coast, the celebration began, ¡Viva la isla de Malphino!
Iko Chérie
Iko Chérie is the moniker of musician and selector Marie Merlet. She features on Coco Maria’s Club Coco compilations both as a solo artist and guitarist in psychedelic cumbia band Malphino. Her voice can also be heard on Stereolab’s latest album and she has collaborated with the likes of Gina Birch and Yama Warashi.
A resident at Total Refreshment Centre, Iko Chérie also hosts Little Trouble Girls on Soho Radio, championing women in music for over a decade. Her set carries that celebration onto the dancefloor, connecting psychedelic grooves, experimental gems, dub and underground leftfield electronics from around the world.
Luzmira Zerpa
Luzmira Zerpa is a Venezuelan singer, songwriter and cultural storyteller whose voice travels across continents and traditions. Rooted in the rich musical soil of Venezuela — including folkloric rhythms of her homeland — she weaves together folk, jazz and global sonic textures to create a sound that is at once ancient and fresh. Based in the UK, Luzmira brings migration, resilience and connection into her music, showing how song can be both memory and transformation.
Javier Calderón
Javier Calderón is a Mexican cultural promoter, artist and significant figure in London's art scene, particularly recognized for his role in championing Latin American art. His established Somers Gallery in 2015, a platform that has consistently presented works by artists from Latin America, and his career has been shaped by a commitment to fostering cross-cultural dialogue and introducing diverse artistic voices to an international audience. Javier also founded Temporary in 2025, operating as a complementary force to Somers Gallery, and expanding his capacity to curate and exhibit works that reflect the rich artistic traditions and contemporary practices of Latin America.
UK Latin Community CIC
UK Latin Community CIC is a non-profit organisation based in London that empowers children, young people, and families through sports, arts, food, and community wellbeing programmes. They believe that everyone deserves opportunities that build confidence, creativity, and connection. Each year, they engage more than 900 participants across Lambeth, Southwark, Lewisham, and Greenwich, working with local partners to create safe, inspiring spaces where communities can thrive. Their mission is simple - to bring people together, nurture potential, and strengthen community bonds across generations and cultures.
Natalie Byrne
Natalie Byrne is a Latina illustrator based in London. She studied Graphic Design at Sheffield Hallam University and found her illustrative voice combining colour and important topics. Natalie’s work promotes intersectional feminism and tackles social issues such as sexual assault, mental health and equality.
Artizine (Ioana Simion)
Ioana Simion is an artist, educator and facilitator working under the artistic identity of Artizine. Her practice moves across zines, collage, writing and participatory art. She explores handmade publishing as a form of emotional archiving and an act of care - a way of remembering, processing and sharing our stories.
Zine-making sits at the heart of Ioana’s work as a collaborative and social form. Her work is informed by the history of zines as tools for connection, self-organisation and shared storytelling. Through workshops and extended practice, Ioana honours this lineage by creating spaces that prioritise exchange, participation, and shared cultures and meaning. She is the founder of Artizine Club, a regular IRL and online zine-making community, and works across galleries, cultural institutions, schools and community settings.
Mandinga Arts
Mandinga Arts celebrates carnival traditions and makes magic come alive since 2002. Through extraordinary performances and collective expression, we create spaces where imagination knows no bounds.
Veronica Cordova de la Rosa
Veronica Cordova de la Rosa is a Mexican-born visual artist, curator and educator based in Oxford, UK. Her interdisciplinary practice draws on Nahua artistic philosophy and explores relationships between people, materials, environments and curiosity. Working with objects and participatory processes, she creates temporary spaces where transformation, experimentation and collective experience can take place. She is the founder and director of the Live Art and Performance Group (LAPER), an artist-led platform for performance, research and exchange.
All Tate Modern entrances are step-free. You can enter via the Turbine Hall and into the Natalie Bell Building on Holland Street, or into the Blavatnik Building on Sumner street. There are lifts to every floor of the Blavatnik and Natalie Bell buildings. Alternatively you can take the stairs.
- Fully accessible toilets are located on every floor on the concourses.
- A quiet room is available to use in the Natalie Bell Building on Level 4.
- Ear defenders can be borrowed from the Ticket desks.
To help plan your visit to Tate Modern, have a look at our visual story. It includes photographs and information about what you can expect from a visit to the gallery.
For more information before your visit:
- Email hello@tate.org.uk
- Call +44 (0)20 7887 8888 (daily 10.00–17.00)
