My Honest Review of Xcaret’s Day of the Dead Celebration Espectacular (2024)

Are you thinking about experiencing Xcaret’s Day of the Dead Celebration Espectacular?

I just beat you to it! 😉

I last visited the park in November 2019.

There’s a lot of hype surrounding this Festival of Life and Death every year.

…So, what do you need to know before you go?

A Run Down of Xcaret’s Festival of Life and Death:

1. Two types of tickets.
2. Xcaret during the day.
3. Map out your route.
4. The events app.
5. Entering and exiting the park.
6. The park at night.
7. The shows.
8. The altars.
9. Conclusion

1. Two Types of Ticket

If you’re not yet acquainted with the region then Xcaret is the Riviera Maya’s natural wondrous Disneyland!  It’s incredible,  and best enjoyed during the day.

However, for the Day of The Dead celebrations, Xcaret offers two types of tickets to get into the park.

1. The Day & Night Ticket – enjoy everything the park has to offer during the day and have access into the night until the festivities are over!
2. The Night Ticket – enter the park from 4 pm and be solely allowed access to the Day of The Dead event areas.

On my journey of “funness” today I explored Xcaret with the day and night ticket. Which meant I got the best of both worlds.

I’ve actually visited the park with both just a day ticket, and a night ticket too so, really,  I’m the best person to talk to when it comes to deciding which ticket is best for you. 😉

When I last came here with the hubs I only went for the Dia de los Muertos festivities (Day of the Dead), which meant after dark.

It was absolutely fabulous, but you don’t really get to experience the whole park after dark.

So,  what better way to get reacquainted than to visit again this year? I specifically planned my visit to coincide with the Festival of Life and Death Traditions.

The plan was to enjoy the park in the day and then head home for a little nap and come back after dark.  It was ingenious and worked out very well for us.

You can enter and exit the park at your own free will, which I will discuss later on in the post.

We arrived at about noon on November 1st, 2019! It was a little busier than what I was used to. Whether that’s because it’s Day of the Dead or the place was just generally busier these days, I’m unsure.

However, it wasn’t too bad, we stood in line for about 10 minutes to get our bracelet and then walked right in.

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2. Xcaret During the Day

Tip 1 – buy the plus option! 

Normally my #1 tip on any tour is to bring a snack, however here you cannot take outside food and drink into the park.

This really bummed me out, because I am a firm believer in snacks.

However, they do have a little gem called Xcaret plus.

I highly recommend it.

You are in a park, food is expensive. With the plus option, you do get 1 meal included, locker rentals,  and life jackets for the underground river.

I can tell you first hand, the locker was a lifesaver.

You actually get to choose which buffet you want to eat, and they have a nice variety of restaurants there.

We ate at the Mexican buffet, and it was very tasty.

The grilled chicken was probably the best I have had in a long time.

There was a nice variety, and most importantly the brownies tasted like chocolate (sometimes they don’t here). So, if you can, I highly recommend the plus option.

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3. Map Out Your Route

I cannot stress this enough!

The park is basically run on a route system. You follow the color of tile for whatever activities you are interested in.

We did not plan our route and just walked around aimlessly for about 45 minutes.

This park is huge, so it can be somewhat overwhelming sometimes.

In my experience, you won’t have time to see it all in one day (although you can see a lot more if you get there before noon).

So it is helpful before you start, to grab a map, or better yet look at one online, and plan what activities are most important to you.

There are a lot of them. If you waste time as we did, you will probably miss something great.

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4. The Events App

TOP TIP: For the Festival Of Life and Death happening during the night at Xcaret the park has even set up their own app, which you can download on your phone.

It’s called ‘Xcaret Events’ and looks a little like this:

It’s absolutely essential you download this and plan what you want to do before arriving at the park.

For the Day of The Dead, there are on average 4 things all happening at the same time. You need to know where you have to be and at what time to get the most from your experience.

The one thing you simply cannot miss is the main show happening in the large main arena. The time changes from year to year so check in advance.

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5.  Entering and Exiting The Park

If you buy the day and night ticket but don’t want to spend all day and night at the park you can leave and return at your own free will.

10-15 hours is just way too much for me to handle all at once.

So, if there are certain festivities at night that you want to see, exit and return.

Of course, there are tons of taxis waiting at the front gate, so even if you didn’t drive your car, you have an option.

This is also an important snack wise as well because if you don’t feel like paying $2 for a water, or more for a snack, keep one in your car.

Also, this option was nice because I wanted to paint my face for Day of the Dead, and I didn’t feel like sweating it all off during the day.

Tah-dah!

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6. Xcaret Park at Night

If you don’t want to spend all day, consider a night pass.

This is what my colleague Sarah and her boyfriend did.

She simply joined me back at the park at 4 pm when the doors for the evening event open.

They are way less expensive than the day and night tickets.

I can tell you the park has a whole different ambiance at night, especially during the Festival of Life and Death Traditions.

It is beautiful and much cooler than going during the day.

Although some attractions may be closed at night, it is still a wonderful experience.

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7. The Xcaret Shows

Perhaps the most celebrated aspect of Xcaret’s Festival of Life and Death is the shows!

The ESPECTACULARS!

During our visit, we managed to catch:

• A live theatre show with lots of singing and violin playing – it was pretty epic!
• The main Xcaret show with odes to the different states of Mexico.
• And an acrobatic performance!

Let me reiterate make sure you plan what you want to do in advance.

There is a lot on offer at this festival! It’s a little crazy with lots and lots of people so if you get claustrophobia then maybe this isn’t the tour for you.

I’ve got to say though I was very impressed by the shows, it’s clear the park puts a lot of effort and preparation into what’s likely to be their biggest celebration of the year.

For Mexican nationals, Xcaret’s Festival of Life and Death is a big deal.

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8. The Altars

The Day of The Dead Celebration in Mexico is characterized all over the country by incredible adorned alters decorated with food and yellow flowers.

If you’ve seen the film Coco by Pixar you will know what I mean. If you haven’t seen it make sure you see it by the time you arrive here.

It’s well worth a watch for all the family.

They are absolutely stunning to behold. The Xcaret Festival of Life and Death has an entire area dedicated to this aspect of the celebrations.

Although the altars here are fake they are spectacular to behold and provide the perfect photo opportunity, so be sure to take your cameras and strike a pose.

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9.  Top Tips

1. Bring Biodegradable Sunscreen and Bug Spray

You are in the sun for the most part. Bring biodegradable sunscreen, and bug spray. You will thank me for it later. 😉

2. Brush up on your knowledge of the Day of The Dead Celebrations to get the most from the experience.

Start here…10 Fun Facts About The Day of The Dead

3. Buy the ‘plus’  ticket option.

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10.  Conclusion

We had a great day at Xcaret, although we probably should have either gotten there earlier or purchased a second-day pass.

There is so much to do there, you will never be bored.

I personally recommend visiting at night during the Day of the Dead festivities (30Oct-2Nov). The ambiance is fabulous, especially if you love Halloween.

I love it so much that I decide to return year after year.

If you’re craving some local culture and traditions then this is definitely the right event for you.

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Additional Resources You May Find Useful

1. My honest review of Hanal Pixan
2. Day Of The Dead Makeup Tutorial
3. My honest review of Hotel Xcaret

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Save On Your Ticket To Xcaret

Booking Xcaret can be a little confusing when it comes to choosing between the day and night tickets (as well as the ‘plus’ options available) if you’ve never been before.

Talk to a member of our team that knows their stuff.

We’ll help you make the best decision for you and your group.

Plus, we can take care of your transport arrangement.

Speak to one of the team members at PlayaDelCarmen.com on our toll-free number 888-537-9797.

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We hope you found this review to be helpful, if you have any questions be sure to comment below, we would be happy to answer them. 🙂

Have a great day!