MexFest 2025
Opening Night | Noche de Apertura
English Version | Versión en Español abajo
Come celebrate with us and learn about the Mexican tradition of Día de los Muertos—all are welcome!
MexFest—an arts festival celebrating Mexican culture in NYC—presents a multidisciplinary art exhibition honoring Día de los Muertos (Day of The Dead) in the Flushing Town Hall Gallery. This year’s theme, Rituales de Resiliencia (Rituals of Resilience), centers memory, cultural ritual, and ancestral connection.
Opening Night Programming - 6-7:30 PM
Free admission with RSVP
On November 1, festival visitors are invited to enjoy a multidisciplinary art exhibition, and to celebrate and honor Mexican culture with an evening of community and connection that will include sharing a community ofrenda (altar) to honor lost loved ones, a Papel Picado Workshop, a Writing Workshop, and a gathering of stories and testimonials.
The evening’s programming will feature a collaborative artistic process focused on remembrance and resilience. The central altar will be curated and co-created by artists Aurelia Fernández, Arantxa Araujo, and Xtian Ávila, and will be part of a larger participatory mural, serving as a space for communal storytelling.
Attendees can enjoy the work in our Gallery and join the workshops free of charge. All are welcome.
Global Mashup: Celebrate Mexico! - 7:45 PM
Linda EPO Meets Mariachi Tapatio de Alvaro Paulino
A ticketed event - General Admission: $25 Adults / $5 Children 12 and under
MexFest attendees are invited to join us for our paid, culminating event: Global Mashup: Celebrate Mexico! Linda EPO Meets Mariachi Tapatio de Alvaro Paulino.
Bringing together two distinct New York-based Mexican music bands, attendees will enjoy:
A short dance lesson for all audience members
A dedicated set from each band
A 15-minute intermission for food and drinks
A combined jam session where both bands perform together
Whether you're familiar with Día de los Muertos or experiencing it for the first time, come celebrate with us and enjoy this beautiful tradition—all are welcome!
MexFest Artistic Directors
Arantxa Araujo is a queer Mexican artist whose central axis is performance art, branching into video, photo, installation, and sculpture. Influenced by neuroscience, their multisensory, movement-based work has been presented at the Brooklyn Museum, Leslie-Lohman Museum, Queens Museum, and internationally at Illuminus (Boston) and Nuit Blanche (Canada). Recipient of the Franklin Furnace Fund and other grants, Araujo also co-organizes MexFest 2025 and serves as Program Manager at the Foundation for Contemporary Arts. Araujo is Co-Artistic Director of MexFest.
Xtian Ávila, (he/they) is a Mexican-born theatremaker (theater director, producer, curator, playwright, and actor) Drama League Fellow, teaching artist, and arts administrator. Ávila currently works as Executive and Artistic Associate at Flushing Town Hall and is founder and Co-Artistic Director of MexFest.
MexFest Artists
Queens native Linda EPO is a dynamic singer, pianist, and whose transcendent performances blur cultural boundaries. She is known for her vibrant energy and stage presence. Her ability to sing in multiple languages, including English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, and Kreyòl, enables her to connect with audiences worldwide, creating captivating cross-cultural experiences. Fresh off her attention-grabbing performance for NYC's SummerStage 2025 season, where she shared the bill with the legendary Puerto Rican salsa powerhouse La Sonora Ponceña, Linda EPO continues her rapid ascent in the live music scene.
Aurelia Fernandez is a Mexican-born artist who has lived in the United States for twenty-seven years. Through her traditional papier mâché artwork, Aurelia has helped assure that the cultural traditions of Mexico add a new layer of richness and vitality to New York City's cultural life. Her art has been exhibited in museums such as the Queens Museum of Art, the Museum of the City of New York and The National Arts Museum of Chicago. She has shown work and engaged with multiple libraries, public schools, and the Mexican Council in New York City. Additionally, Aurelia has demonstrated outstanding leadership in her community by volunteering in various churches and helping in the documentation of Mexican migrants. She was also part of the Mano a Mano Organizing Committee at the Center for Traditional Music and Dance, NY. Aurelia has been honored seven times for her work and her contribution to society by important cultural institutions in the United States and Mexico. Book a workshop with Aurelia.
Mariachi Tapatío de Alvaro Paulino
Alvaro Paulino Jr. (Musical Director, Mariachi Tapatío de Alvaro Paulino) is a fifth-generation mariachi musician, continuing the legacy of his pioneering father who brought the tradition from Puebla, Mexico, to New York City in 1983. Proclaimed by the State of New York as "The Northeast's Finest Mariachi," Paulino Jr. is dedicated to ensuring this vibrant Mexican folk music thrives for future generations. He preserves the art form while strengthening cultural ties across New York’s multicultural landscape, with celebrated performances at venues like Radio City Music Hall and Madison Square Garden.
This event is presented in partnership with Historias, a transformative citywide effort led by The Clemente that re-centers Latinx cultural narratives in New York City through exhibitions, performances, oral histories, and digital storytelling.