Fluffy white cat in a frilly pink dress leads a vibrant Day…

Catwalk: walking by the Day of the Dead Parade in Mexico City on Monday Where would you like to go tomorrow? Mexico City originally had a more traditional Day of the Dead celebration with families holding vigils at the cemetary for their loved ones. At the time there was not big parade. Then the opening scene of the 2015 James Bond film Spectre featured a massive, fictional Day of the Dead parade complete with elaborate skeleton floats, dancers, and thousands of extras navigating the historic center of Mexico City. The movie came out in November 2015 after the Day of the Dead was well over. However tourists started making plans to go see the parade and making reservations but there was no parade. Recognizing the demand, the Mexican government scrambled to put together the 2016 Day of the Dead. They used several strategies. Hollywood Spectre Props: To save time and capitalize on the film's exact aesthetic, the city government acquired and reused several of the giant skeleton props and costumes that MGM had constructed for Spectre. Prison Inmate Workforces: To build the massive, custom-decorated floats on a tight schedule, the government partnered with local prisons. Inmates helped manufacture and paint the elaborate mojigangas (giant papier-mâché puppets) and festive structures Mass Volunteering: The city put out a massive call for local dancers, acrobats, and musicians to act as performers. Hundreds of volunteers showed for costumes and had their faces painted as calaveras (skeletons) Authenticity: The organizers carefully wove in deep elements of national heritage. The 2016 floats were dedicated to honoring iconic Mexican cultural figures, blending the Hollywood carnival energy with traditional symbols like the Calavera Catrina The first real life Day of the Dead parade in Mexico City was October 29, 2016 and it drew a crowd of 250,000. Now it draws millions of people from around the world.

Entry in the Skelly Stories, Scenes and Shorts theme.