Every Thursday, WTTW News newsletter producer Josh Terry highlights his picks for the week’s must-see cultural events.

Thousands of Aztec marigolds grown in the University of Illinois Chicago’s research garden will play an integral role in Saturday’s Day of the Dead celebration on Chicago’s lakefront. 

“Day of the Dead LIVE!” is running Oct. 29-Nov. 1 at the Harold Washington Library. The free show will feature larger-than-life puppets, stilt-walkers, skeletons, ghosts and aerialists — plus classical music from pianist Llewellyn Sánchez Werner.

El Dia de los Muertos, or Day of the Day, is a two-day celebration where people come together to remember their late loved ones. It’s a beautiful, colorful tradition with festivities, music and food.

It’s going to be a colorful day in Pilsen on Saturday. More than 6,000 people are expected to come together to honor and remember their late loved ones in a sold-out race ahead of Dia de los Muertos, a well-known Mexican holiday dating back to precolonial times.

In Pilsen, one Chicago resident transformed her backyard into an altar that provides a transportive experience. You’ll find skulls, flowers and all kinds of objects offered to those who once lived.

The vivid orange and yellow cempasúchiles, known as marigolds in English, frequently adorn Día de los Muertos ofrendas. Native to Mexico, the flowers bloom at this time of year just in time for the holiday.

For the 36th year, the National Museum of Mexican Art in Pilsen is presenting an ever-changing art exhibit that celebrates love and loss. This year’s Day of the Dead exhibition blends the contemporary with the traditional. Its somber tone is meant to be a reflection of the world at large.

Through the month of October, a series of events called “Journey Chicago” is taking place at cultural heritage centers across the city and suburbs. 

This year’s free exhibit–the largest of its kind in the country–features 116 pieces of artwork from more than 90 artists and offers an inside look at some of the traditions of the holiday.